Dreams of Growing Hope
by Howlingwolf94
Summary: Years have passed since the great holy war and the downfall of both the Earl, Allen, and Lenalee. But darkness rises again and it's time for new heroes to rise up. Time for the Destroyer of Time to return and fulfill the prophecy. Sequel to LSS
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Come on son, keep up. We can't dawdle for long." replied a hooded figure as he and another figure continued their quick pace. A young boy coughed for a moment before nodding, trusting to follow his father's words despite the fact that he was starting to lose his breath.

"I'm-huff-coming." heaved the boy as he pulled back the hood he had over his head, yanking it from around his neck and dropping it to the ground.

Struggling to catch his breath, he bent down and placed his hands on his knees as he began coughing even more, sending violent tremors down his body. Everything was going in and out, his lungs feeling as if they were on fire even though it was a nice autumn afternoon. Unable to regain his breath, he began wheezing, a choking sound being produced because of it. The two men in front of him stopped, turning anxiously as the young boy fell forward. The taller one of the two rushed forward, skidding to a halt as he scooped the boy into his arms. No, not another attack again.

"Allen. Allen!!!" cried the young man as he continued shaking the boy's shoulders. In times like these, he wasn't sure what to do. But every time he was ready to breath for him, if it was necessary. It didn't help though that he was starting to lose consciousness, something that hasn't happened before.

All he could do was wait and watch, something he wasn't very fond of doing.

_ Darkness was everywhere, engulfing everything in its touch. Fear filled the little boy, Allen, as he stumbled unknowing through the blackness. He wasn't sure where to go or what to do, so he decided to just keep moving forward, like his dad had drilled into his head. You only moved forward, never back. And so he did, even though his fear was growing by the second._

"_What's going on? Where am I?"cried Allen, unable to control himself any longer. Tears of fear began sliding down his pale cheeks, despite the fact that he was trying to stay strong like his father._

'In the depths of your heart, within the power that sleeps inside you.'_ replied a body-less voice, echoing all around so that the source was untraceable. _'Look inside young destroyer of time, you may just find light within the darkness…' _added the mysterious voice before fading away._

"_I…I don't understand!"_

_ Falling to his knees, he began hugging himself in helplessness. He didn't know what this mysterious voice was talking about, what he meant by looking inside. One thing he knew for sure though was that he was that he was afraid. He wanted to go, to wake up and have his father reassure him that it had been nothing more than a dream. But it was getting harder to believe that when he felt two hands gently rest against his scrawny shoulders. He could tell from the grips and the pressure they applied to his shoulder that they were two different people, and were both in the midst of crouching._

_ Whoever they were, they did not say a word. Instead, the hand to his right uplifted their free hand to caress the side of his face slowly and gently. Grabbing his attention, he watched as the hand slowly and slightly reluctantly withdrew and switched to pointing forward. How he knew this, he wasn't exactly sure because it all was still pitch black. But nonetheless, he followed what he thought to be true, a light appearing at the end of this vastly dark tunnel. _

_ Getting to his feet, he turned to the two people that had given him strength only to find that they had vanished. Confused and startled by this, he turned back forward as the light grew and grew, vanquishing the darkness that had all but consumed him. Unsure of what to do next, he thought it was better if he continued walking forward, now that there was light instead of darkness._

'Stay strong, hold fast to hope and never lose sight of what matters the most. The burden of the future has been passed to you. But do not be afraid, for we all shall guide you in the salvation of those unfortunate souls.'

Allen looked up while slowly opening his eyes, blinking them a few times to regain focus. His father was hovering over him, his uncle beside him as the two of them stare down at him in mild fear and panic. This changed as soon as they noticed he was regaining consciousness. Picking him up off his feet, the hooded figure got his feet before holding the young boy close, relief washing over him. He thought he had almost lost him there when his breathing had begun slowing down.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Looking up at his father at the tone of worry in his voice, he brought a hand up to his face upon noticing that his view was becoming blurred. It was then that he realized that tears were streaming down his face. For whatever reason, he was crying and a deep sadness was creeping into him that wasn't of his own. Unable to control himself of it, he then chose to bury his face into his chest, hoping that that would make it go away. Unfortunately, it made no difference.

"Someone…someone told me…in-inside my head that…I have to bring salvation to…unfortunate souls." mumbled Allen, his voice muffled by his father's shirt. But instead of saying that it meant nothing and that everything was fine, he became rigid, almost shaking.

"My head hurts dad, please make it stop!" he pleaded as he gripped tighter the shirt his fists were ensnaring, his head burrowing deeper against his chest. He didn't reply, Allen's head shot up, silver eyes watered with tears. But that wasn't what made the young adults only functioning eye to widen. It was the fact that a thin stream of blood was streaming down the middle of his face.

"Make the whispers inside my head go away!!!"

_Author's Note: I know this is shorter than usual, shorter than I will ever dare make a chapter but this is a prologue. I had to start this one off this way so you wouldn't get lost. I couldn't just dive in right away without having a little preview of what's to come. Please review. 1__st__ chapter will be up soon, I promise._


	2. Where this book begins

Ch.1: Where this book begins

Entry #1:

_I have taken it upon myself to record the events that will transpire from this moment on. Yeah, I know, it seems a bit corny and childish, but I find it more than important. After all, my recollection of memory can only go back so far. I'm not as good as my uncle, whose name is currently Zack at the moment. I think he told me once that a while ago, when he was a couple years younger than me that his name use to be Thomas. But due to his place as a Bookman apprentice, he had to discard it. Zack is his 15__th__ alias. _

_ See, if I hadn't made note of that, I wouldn't have remembered in the years to come. Oh! Where are my manners, my name is Allen. You may be wondering what my last name is but I honestly couldn't tell you because I don't have one. At least that's what my father told me when I asked him. He gets prickly whenever I try asking him about stuff like that. Either he avoid it or ignored it all together. Maybe it had to do something with my mom or something. I don't really know. All I do know is that it's a subject that I've learned to avoid._

_ Anyways, I'm 15 years with black hair in dire need of a haircut and eyes that seem to shine silver if the sun hits them right. But normally they're a pale blue. Yeah, I know, boring. Anyways, currently we're in the Hokkaido region of Japan. Why we're there, I have no idea. Probably something to do with uncle's training. Being a Bookman was no easy thing. Trust me, I've tried my hand at it back when I first started learning how to read. It's no walk in the park. _

_ Oh well, at least it's a place I can understand the language fairly well. See, not only did I learn English, but I also learned a multitude of other languages, like Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish, and German to name a few. I'm currently learning how to master Russian and struggling to perfect my Romanian. Hey, you have to find some way to entertain yourself when you're an only child and you never had much time or chance to interact with people my own age. It may not be the funniest of pass times, but at least I know how to say 'where can I get something to eat' or 'I have to go to the bathroom' in about 20 different languages. It comes in handy when you've got a bladder that's just about to burst and all you have to tell you where a bathroom is, is some Italian boy who doesn't have a clue of what you're saying until you translate, believe me. It's happened to me at least twice._

_ Putting that aside, now is the time I get to the point of why I'm doing this. Alright, back as far as I can remember, I've had this strange dreams. Now before I go any further, I just want to let you know, who ever may be reading this that, I'm not crazy. Honest to God I'm not; I've seen some pretty crazy people and I'm definitely not one of them. Now that we have that cleared, I shall continue. My dreams, they aren't always every time I sleep nor do they always make much sense when they last for but a few seconds. Anyways, like I was saying, I've been having strange dreams ever since I was a little kid._

_ Usually they contain glimpses, flashes, of two people. Sometimes there's more, like one had my dad in it for a moment one time. And sometimes it's some strange shadow like person but normally it's just the two. One is a young man, and the other is a young woman. The young man has hair as white as snow and remarkable silver eyes that always seemed to smile whenever he was with the girl. He bore a strange yet fascinating scar with a pentacle scarred above his left eye on his forehead. The young woman had ebony hair, her eyes as pure as amethyst, joy always on her face. She never failed to have a smile on her face whenever I caught a glimpse of her._

_ Sometimes it's either one or the other but most of the time it's both. And whenever I see them together, it's like this desire to be with them comes over me. Like, I wish I was there with them, smiling at their words or laughing at their unknown jokes. Just to hear their voices say my name was all I was asking for. And before you go question what I meant, what I mean is that I can't hear what they're saying whenever they enter my dreams. It's like I'm on the outside looking in, separated by a thick piece of glass that I can't seem to break. It's frustrating at times, but I've all but accepted it now._

_ I wish I could learn more about them, and even the strange shadow of some man at a piano, but no one tells me anything. So of course, being the absolute genius I was, I went to my father. When I asked him about the people, he went sickeningly pale, as if startled by something. So I reiterated my initial question, only to be yelled at and told to forget about them and that they were just people formed from simple dreams. I wanted to believe him but something inside me told me that they were more than that. _

_ That was 5 years ago. Since then I've been quiet about my dreams. I've had no one to share them with, or to express my utter confusion and puzzlement, no one tell me that it was nothing and really mean it. Which leads right to why this is being recorded. I wish to remember all this so that later, if I do ever discover what they mean, I can reflect and analyze what was going on in my head and go 'Hmph, that makes sense' or 'Wow, I can't believe I actually thought that'. But I digress. I guess what I'm trying to say is this:_

_I'm a boy having dreams of people I don't know, places I've never seen, and thing's I don't understand. I'm a boy that feels as though something bigger than himself is going on behind the curtain so to speak. And that fate seems to have different plans for me._

"Allen, it's time to go." called a voice from the distance, grabbing the attention of a black haired youth as he placed a period at the end of his sentence.

Looking up, he sighed as he realized that they were moving on yet again before closing his notebook. He slowly got to his feet afterwards, placing the notebook in his bag as he slung it over a shoulder. Shivering despite the fact that he was wearing a bulky jacket, he coughed into his hand before following his red headed father. You know sometimes he questioned if he was really his father, after all they looked nothing alike. But a part of him was denying that point and resided with pointing out that no one could have loved him more. He probably got his looks from his mother was all. If he only knew.

Sluggishly catching up, he struggled to keep his footing as he slipped on a piece of concealed ice. Flailing because of it, he would have fallen if it weren't for his father grabbing his arm before he had a chance to face plant the snowy ice. Righting himself once he had regained his balance, his father sighed while shaking his head in dismay. This kid was going to be the end of him if he did not learn to quit day dreaming and keep his head in reality.

"Allen, we've got work to do."

"Like what? Record the changes in weather dad? I'm getting sick and tired of having to do this Bookmen stuff with you and uncle. Why can't you just leave me for while and come back for me on the way back. It sure make this slightly more enjoyable La-vi." He said, pulling out his most trusted card, his father's name. He just knew how much he despised being called that, and it only made it worse when he enunciated each syllable.

Lavi gritted his teeth in frustration. How many times did he have to tell him that his name was no longer Lavi? It was Lee now, so he might as well start calling him that. His 49th alias just…brought back too many painful memories that he kept hidden away, locked in his heart. But whenever he said, it made those memories resurface, upsetting him to no end.

"You know what, fine. Stay here and catch a cold while I continue on with my recording. I should be back in a few hours, try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone." stated the Bookman as he pulled his jacket tighter, rubbing his gloved hands together before setting off alone, not giving Allen any room to discuss this situation otherwise.

Yes, he was accident prone. Yes, he stuck his nose in places where it didn't belong. And yes, he tended to get sick a lot, especially in weather environments such as these. So why was his dad actually leaving him here? Sure he was bored and tended to say things like this, but he hadn't thought he would actually take him seriously. After all, he hadn't taken himself very seriously. But he wasn't about to let his anxiety of actually staying alone for a few hours in this place covered with snow. He was brave and strong, sometimes.

"Alright fine! I'll stay here and you'll see just how strong I've gotten. By the time you get back I've had only gotten a tiny cold, not one of those choking colds either!" he hollered over to his quickly fading father, how smiled at the comment. Was this really suppose to impress him?

When he didn't reply outside of a wave over his shoulder Allen relaxed, wishing that he hadn't opened his big mouth. He could try to catch up but that would show his weakness and his dependability; he wasn't a kid anymore. Besides, even if he tried, his lungs would be on fire before he actually made it to him, and he'd probably have a dreaded asthma attack. Even if it's been a few months since his last one.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he decided that with his moment of given freedom, he would explore. But just to be on the safe side, he would make a fire signaling where he needed to return, in the event that he got lost. Which was a high probability. Once that was done, he shook himself off of the snow and began heading in an unknown direction, his sense of direction all but none. Yeah, smart idea to ask if a sickly, over curious, no sense of direction teenage boy could stay behind and ultimately explore. What could possibly go wrong?

It did go downhill from there, unfortunately. About a half an hour into his exploring, he came across a Hokkaido brown bear, fishing at a frozen river. Interested, he observed the bear from a safe distance, watching as it broke a hole in the ice so that it could scoop fish out. But he wasn't the only one watching the bear. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a Siberian tiger was watching them from an even further distance. How it even got to this region, much less Japan, was a mystery. Must have escaped some zoo or some Japanese poachers that had extracted him from more indigenous regions as a trophy. Either way it didn't matter at the moment. What did was the fact that it was starving and was willing to take anything it could.

Even its ideal prey ended up being a weak and sickly boy. It didn't matter to it though; it was starving.

Slowly inching it's way forward, it soon closed in on the two unsuspecting prey. But one false step caused a twig to snap, alerting the bear of nearby danger. Sadly, Allen was unaware of this. Forgetting all about its fishing hole, the bear chose to flee away from the area, leaving the beast no other option but to settle with the weak. It didn't have time for a lengthy chase.

Stepping out of his hiding spot, Allen watched in puzzlement the bear go, not quite sure why it had just given up getting food for. But that was soon made clear when a feral roar from a dozen feet away rose in the air, causing him to freeze as he turned towards the noise. Eyes widening and face filling with fear, he watched as the tiger came charging forward in large bounds, closing in on him swiftly. He didn't think to run until the large cat was now only a few feet away, his instincts taking over when his fear did not.

Turning, he began running for his life, unaware that he had stepped onto the frozen river and of the fact that some of the ice a top of it was thin. But that wasn't in his thoughts at the moment, what was, was escaping from the tiger. Though he wasn't very confident in that endeavor. After all, how was a skinny boy like him suppose to out run and out tire a large 300 pound cat full of toned muscle? He wasn't, that was what the problem was. Oh why did he have to open his big mouth?!

"Oh shit! Kuso! Merde! **Дерьмо! Mierda!" chanted Allen, finding himself switching in different languages as he ran for his life. Yes, he had taken it upon himself to learn curse words in a specific language first, before diving deeper into the language. Hey, it came in handy on a few occasions, though this wasn't one of them.**

** The tiger was quickly closing in, its body built for speed better than his was. And to make matters worse, the ice was beginning to crack underneath him, his feet slipping and sliding because of this. Spinning from a slide he had been forced in, he found himself face to face with the beast, unable to do anything from all this sliding he was doing. He wasn't even prepared for the tiger leaping at him, throwing all its weight into the air and crashing down into him.**

** Weight instantly over powering him, he fell to the ground, crying out in pain as the beast began ripping him apart. He was going to die, that's it. Eaten by a hungry tiger. What a way to die. As the tiger went for his throat, the ice underneath them caved in, sending the both of them into the icy cold water below. The water hit them dead on, sending a paralyzing current through them as soon as they hit the water. Not liking this, the tiger backed off, easily making it back to the surface and out of the growing hollow in the ice. And before long, it was gone, disappearing in the distance as it went after the bear. **

** Meanwhile, Allen was struggling to make it to the surface, his body being pushed and pulled by the current. Struggling with just holding his breath, he used all his strength to shoot up, hoping he would burst through the surface. But instead, he hit his head hard on the ice, miss judging where the hollow had been. Unable to stop himself, he let out a soundless cry of pain into the water, blood slowly dyeing a small portion of the water around him. Bubbles rose as he brought his hands to his throat, fighting against the fact that water was flooding into his mouth and down into his weak lungs. Death by drowning, how interesting.**

** Eventually he forgot about fighting the current and chose to fight for non-existing air, his body curling into a ball as he was swept away by the current. When he realized that that was useless, he gave up, allowing his body to relax and drift away with the current. There was no use fighting it, he was going die here either way. So he might as well make the most of it. He wondered what would kill him first though, drowning or hypothermia. **

** As he continued floating away and down the cold river, his senses began failing him, his body beginning to shut down. With this he became very tired, his eyes drooping so that they were now half-lidded. So because of this, he didn't notice this strange thing come shooting towards him at a high speed, ramming itself into his chest and sinking underneath his clothes and into his skin. This went unnoticed though, having not seen or felt a thing, or even realize that his body was beginning to glow a greenish hue. **

** The glow continued getting brighter and brighter, running along his entire body until it reached its peak before suddenly extinguishing. Hidden underneath all his clothes was now an accumulation of dark green tattoos, tribal in appearance though alien in nature. But he didn't know or even care for his senses were shutting down one by one. First his touch, then his hearing and sense of smell before reaching his sight. As that too began darkening, he suddenly saw hand dive down into the water, grabbing a hold of his shirt and pulling up to the surface of another hollow in the ice, the one the bear had made. **

** As soon he was pulled to the surface, his sense of hearing slowly came back once he began hacking up some of the water that had entered his lungs. Though, it wasn't much. Tired and exhausted, he began succumbing to sleep, in dire need of an energy recharge in a sense. But as he began zoning out of consciousness, he could have sworn he heard his savior say this:**

**"Chotto matte, baka moyashi."**

**_Author's Note: Yes, the first official chapter to this story! I'm so happy!!!! Chotto matte means hold on in Japanese, in case you were wondering. And all know what baka moyashi means. And who says it. Anyways, please review people, it would be greatly appreciated._**


	3. Awaken Dream

_Author's Note: Don't ask me why half of the previous chapter was bolded, I just noticed that as I making this chapter. I'll make sure it doesn't happen because it was unintentional._

Ch. 2: Awaken Dream

_Bliss. I felt strange bliss wherever I was at the moment. Even though it was completely dark. Wherever I turned, I was greeted with darkness. I can't remember ever having been in a place as dark as this and not have flashes greet me with every turn I take. But this was different; it felt dark and empty, as if a part of me was missing. And yet, I've never felt more whole. Was this what it was like being dead?_

'**You're not dead. You have never been more alive.'**_ Echoed a voice, bouncing off invisible walls to a point where it sounded like there was more than one voice speaking. _

"_Then where am I, oh strange echoing voice?" I asked, not sure if the last part would offend the person or not. _

_Hey, I had to have some form of humor to keep myself from panicking. I don't think it's very normal to have someone talking to you in what could possibly inside your own head if what it had said was true, that I was not dead. There has been only one other time when a voice spoke to me and that was when I was a little boy. Back when it had been nothing more than whispers that only lasted for about an hour before fading away. But that hour had felt like an eternity. _

_So why was it starting up again?_

'**You're in your own heart and mind. It is time for what is your birth right to be awakened…'**

_Birth right? Since when was I something special? I for one don't fell like someone special. Just a weak teenage boy who knew quite a few dozen languages and travelled with his father around the world. Nothing special about that. Then again, he didn't know a whole lot about his father's, or even his uncle's, past. Was there something they weren't telling me? Something that could explain why my mother isn't here?_

"_What do you mean, disembodied voice?"_

'**The****power that has been passed to you…Awaken it, so that you may begin bringing salvation to all those tortured souls…'**

'_Tortured souls? What is this, some sort of religions thing or something? Well let me tell you something Mr. Voice, or Mr. Voices, I don't know anything about saving tortured souls. Hell, I don't even know how to take care of my own. So you're asking the wrong guy to do something as spiritual as that. My own father isn't even that religious or spiritual. What makes you think I am?"_

'**You have much to learn naïve one, things that you must be told and things you must find on your own. But there is defiance in you, something you'll definitely need it in the days to come.'**

"_What are you talking about?! You make it seem like I have to get prepared for something."I remarked, my annoyance rising. Why was I even trying to speak to this thing? I was only encouraging it to answer back in its cryptic speech. This wasn't very fun anymore. Not even if something were happen._

_I think I spoke too soon though. Suddenly, as I was turning away from where I stood looking at nothing in particular, spot lights seemed to shine down in three spots around me, illuminating those three areas. Freezing at this, my heart skipped a beat as I stared at a figure of a young man came stepping into the spot light, his head bowed and his eyes hidden behind locks of hair. I knew this person, his white hair was unmistakable. It was the young man from my dreams._

_When my senses seem to return, I turned panicky to the other two, noticing that they two were directed over a person. The one to my left was of the young woman from the dreams, her pose the same as the white haired male. To my right was a figure under a not so bright spot light, his features less pronounced than the other two. But even so, I could've sworn it smirked at me just a second ago, one that appeared to be cunning and…eager?_

'**Accept the strength we give you, carry on the duty we left behind as both exorcists and fighters against Time. Finish what we could not. Become the Destroyer of Time.'** _They recited together, their voices more distinguishable now for some reason, though they still echoed off make believe walls. Man, thank goodness my bladder wasn't full, otherwise I would've wetted myself just now. Because this, was starting to freak me out._

"_You can't be serious! There's no way I could do something like that. I'm…I'm just a kid wishing for an answer. An answer…that will put all of my dying questions to rest. But even I know that could never happen. I know I can't do this." I mumbled, felling lower than I've ever felt before. Why did it feel like I was lying?_

'**You have already begun making the first steps to finding the answers that you seek. One's that cannot hide in the shadows for much longer.'** _Reassured the voice to my left, a small smile gracing her face. It looked…good on her._

'**But in order to achieve those answers, you must past through the dangers that shall fall into your path. You must have the strength of will, courage, and mind in order to survive. Surely someone such as yourself if capable of fulfilling that simple task. If they could do it then so can you.'** _The other person to my right added, my head turning to his shadowed figure. Was he…was he trying to egg me on! Whoever he is, or was, I didn't like him all that much. He didn't even have the decency to step out into the light so that his face could be seen._

'**Do not lose hope. You must be prepared for what lies ahead for you, for the future now lies upon your shoulders. And the burden is for you alone to bear. To lose hope would mean that humanity itself loses hope. You are the only one that can vanquish the darkness, and bring about a world graced with light.'**_ Stated the white hailed male, grabbing my attention over to him. What the hell were these people talking about?!_

"_Look guys, I'm not cut out to be a hero like you all think I am. I don't even have super powers! I'm just me, a sickly boy that can't even take care of himself. Why don't you find someone better suited for this type of thing? Cause I sure didn't ask for this…this fate!" I argued, wishing for this dream, or whatever it was to just end already. I wanted to wake up now._

'**Fate rarely calls upon us in a moment of our choosing. There is no one else who is destined to do this. But do not fear, we will be there to kind you and lead you down the path you must tread. You will learn in time that you are more than capable of handling this fate…Allen.'** _They all said together, their harmonizing never failing to freak me out. But I guess what freaked me out the most was when they said my name. How did they know my name? I'm pretty sure I hadn't told them my name, seeing as how no introductions had been made. Like I hardly asked though._

"_How do you know my name? Who ARE you people?!" I asked bewildered, wishing for them to start actually making sense instead of their mumbo jumbo talk._

'**Our identities will be known in due time young Destroyer of Time. But today is not the place, for it is time we must go.'**

"_No, wait!" I cried futilely before they all lifted their heads up simultaneously at the same time before shattering into a dozen pieces of glass, right before I could actually study their faces more closely. _

_That was the only thing that shattered though. The darkness all around me shattered like a broken glass window, the shards scattering everywhere until suddenly, I found myself falling. Helpless and unable to stop it, I allowed myself to fall to the unknown, hoping that I would wake up soon enough before I got to know the ground a lot better than I already do. Eventually though, a bright light consumed me, blinding me as it swallowed up the darkness, sending me back to consciousness. _

Allen slowly opened his eyes, greeted by a roof hanging over his head. His body was screaming in pain, some parts of his body still numb from the freezing waters. But that didn't matter, at least he was alive. Blankets were wrapped around him, a hot cloth resting on his still chilled forehead. He found that his clothes had been removed and tossed next to a fire to dry, his body now in nothing but baggy pants. He felt very uncomfortable.

Sitting up slowly, he hissed as his body forced him to remain laying, not yet ready for such an exertion. So instead, he settled with releasing his arms from the cocoon of blankets. As he did this, he heard voices outside the rice paper door, causing him to hesitate as he freed one arm from the cocoon prison. Turning his head, he struggled to listen before he went back to getting his arm out though, something else stopped him.

Letting out a small gasp, he stared down in fascination at the strange tattoo that ran all along his entire arm, wrapping around it intricately as it started at his fingers and up his arm. But that wasn't all, it didn't stop there. It wrapped around and diverged at his shoulder, traveling along his back and chest as it stemmed off in dozens of different directions. Following the deep green trails, he turned his head to his opposite arm and noticed that it too was in the same state as his other arm as he managed to pull it out.

Breathless, he ignored the chilling pain and attempted to sit up once more, this time saving himself from falling back down by holding onto his knees. Curious to see where else this thing went to, he pulled back the blanket and took off a sock that was covering one of his feet, examining how it stopped suddenly at the knuckles of his toes, but thickened as it went up his leg. How long had he actually been out for? Well, long enough for someone to give him a full body tattoo by the looks of it. What a violation of personal space.

Not liking this very much, he tried seeing the pattern on his chest but his stiff neck wouldn't allow him to dip his head very much. Not without the muscles screaming out in pain. Sighing, he fell back down painfully before draping an arm across his forehead. As he stared up at the roof, he realized that he wasn't exactly in a place he was familiar with. Where was he exactly?

"Usagi o ochitsuka seru!"

"No, I will not calm down! I've been searching for him for weeks now, and I was near the end of my wits when someone from this village of yours tells me that he's here. Do not expect me to calm down!"

He turned at the sound of voices whispering rather loud outside the screen door, their shadows giving them a form as they argued with each other. Judging from the voice pattern of the second person, his father was here, wherever this was exactly. Wait, did he say weeks?!

"Meiwaku na Bukkuman…" mumbled the other person, his voice deep and appearing to contrast his silhouette appearance. It was the high ponytail that was making it hard to take the guy, or maybe even a girl, seriously. A very scary man voiced girl.

"Jigoku ni ochiro." Retorted his father, his voice borderline seething. He could tell from here that he wasn't too happy. Especially if he was now speaking in Japanese.

"You know, you two aren't very good whisperers. I could understand every word you said." Allen added from where he laid, causing the two to stop moving and turn to the closed screen door. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to let them know he was awake.

Growing more and more nervous by the second, he watched as the door slowly opened and his father came walking in. Emerald green eye wide in shock, he slowly made small and hesitant steps forward until he was standing before Allen. Eye watering up, he collapsed to his knees before hunching over, hands balled into fists as he finally broke down. This, to say the least, surprised Allen. He figured he was in for the lecture of his life, not end up seeing his father crying. This was just more painful.

"I…I thought I lost you…" choked the Bookman as he continued shedding tears of overbearing relief, his form appearing more vulnerable now that it was shaking. Just watching this made his own eyes water.

"I'm sorry dad, I didn't mean to make you worry. I…I just wanted to prove to you that I could handle taking care of myself. That didn't work at so well, I guess…hehe." He replied nervously as a few tears slid down his cheeks. Chuckling slightly, Lavi pulled him into his arms, holding him tight and close as he continued crying.

"Dad…I can't breathe!"

"Tough luck, I'm not letting you go or even out of my sight from here on out."

Allen sighed; just what he needed now, a doting parent. But it was…kind of nice. Hugging him back, he rested his chin on one of his shoulders and stared at the open screen door, now remembering all about the other…person. From where he was, it seemed like the deep voiced girl was actually in fact a guy, unless the girl was manned face and was lacking boobs. But all likeliness pointed to the conclusion that the person was a male. A very intimidating looking male.

The guy stood at the door way, arms folded across his chest as he watched them silently. He stood in a traditional kimono, his hair held high in a tight ponytail. A scar ran from the tip of his left eyebrow, across his nose, down his right cheek, and continuing down his neck until his clothes blocked it from view. Who knew how long that scar went. It looked it was pretty painful. Both then and now.

"Hey! Are you the one who gave me this hideous tattoo?! Cause if you are then you're in for a world of trouble girly haired man!!!" He retorted as he pointed accusingly at the ponytail wearing man. His reaction caused him to smirk as he finally entered the room, his hands falling to his sides as he took a seat beside the two of them. The comment made Lavi pull away, taking a moment to truly look at him this time before ignoring the obvious.

"Iya, watashi wa anata o hozon." Replied the Japanese man as he stared at Allen coldly, eyes not leaving his own.

Meanwhile, Lavi was staring at the deep forest trails along his son's body, eye widening at the slightly protruding crystal fragment sticking out of his chest, right over his heart. It glowed a hazy green color, fading in and out with every breath he took. That was where the most of the activity was located, centered around the one area before branching out to the rest of his body. Following the trails silently, his head lifted up to his face upon noticing a single track branch up his neck.

His breath hitched in his chest his eye bulging out of his socket. All along his left eye was a tattoo in the general shape of an unforgettable scar, the only thing different being that the star pentacle was missing, taking the shape of a stigmata indention. It took all of his self control to not jump back. His heart was racing, memories of the past leaking into his head unwillingly as he rose to his feet unexpectedly. Without another word, he stumbled back before turning, leaving the room at a restrained pace.

Allen would've questioned why he had suddenly left, but his attention was currently focused on the Japanese man, neither one of them breaking the stare. In the back of his mind, he felt a familiar sensation, a faint ring of laughter in the distance if he was hearing it right. Part of him, a tiny bit buried deep inside, was enjoying this.

"Who are you?"

"Watashi no namae wa –"

"English please. I know you can understand me when I say I want you to tell me in English."

"Watashi…My name is Kanda. And this is my village."

Kanda and Bookman Lee, now being addressed as Lavi or usagi instead of his title, stood in front of a burning fire, watching the fiery coals burn as night fell. Allen had fallen back to sleep a few hours earlier, weak but getting stronger. No one had delved into matters concerning what had happened, seeing as how the bandaged claw marks were self explanatory in itself. And no one broached the subject as to why they were here. At least, not until now.

"What are you doing here Lavi, and why is he with you." asked Kanda, not moving his gaze away from the burning coals.

"I had to take him out of there before they did tests on him. And take away all of his freedom. Besides, you tell me what exactly happened to him."

"There is nothing to be told." Remarked Kanda before he was suddenly knocked into a wall, Lavi pinning him by keeping an arm against his throat.

"Explain to me why then, does he have all those markings. Well, TELL ME!!!" yelled Lavi as he pressed his arm down on his throat harder, his anger blooming from the possibility of the boy's safety being jeopardized making him go a little too far. Gritting his teeth through his suffocation, Kanda grabbed hold of the arm and twisted it behind his back, easily sending him to the floor.

Struggling to regain his breath, he pulled his arm further behind his back out of spite before getting to his knee. Panting, he began speaking once more.

"Don't ask me how he got those, I had just assumed that he had had them to begin with. Now, if you ever do that again, there will be consequences." Growled Kanda before shoving him to the floor. Straightening up, he snarled before walking out, probably to get some fresh air.

Hissing in pain, he held his arm to his body before turning back to the coals. Sighing, he pulled his jacket closer before he began rubbing his hands, outstretching them over to the fire for warmth. As he stared at the fire, he soon became lost in deep contemplation, his mind pondering over the present situation and it's options. There was no mistaking it now, the Heart had chosen their son. Just like they had thought it would. What a terrible outcome this has turned to be. How was he suppose to protect him now? Their blood ran through his veins; he wouldn't stand around and do nothing in the end. He would fight whether he liked it or not.

He was the son of Allen Walker and Lenalee Lee after all.

_Author's Note: Alright, the Japanese parts of dialogue were translated by Google translate, so forgive me if they are either incorrect or don't make sense. It took me awhile to just have words translated so please, please don't chew me out for it being incorrect if it is. I don't know the language so well so I wouldn't know._

_-Usagi o ochitsuka seru: Calm down rabbit_

_-_ _Meiwaku na Bukkuman: Annoying Bookman_

_-_ _Jigoku ni ochiro: Go to hell_

_-_ _Iya, watashi wa anata o hozon: No, I saved you_

_-_ _Watashi no namae wa: My name is_


	4. Night of Fate

Ch. 3: Night of Fate

"…no, please don't…" mumbled Allen in his sleep, tossing and turning in some nameless dream. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. "…you'll hurt him…you'll…NO!!!" Allen suddenly shot up, sweat beaded across his forehead. Panting in mild distress, a hand rested against his chest as he fought to regain his breath. It was just a dream, nothing but a nasty dream. He reassured himself that but his heart rate continued pounding, only to increase when his hand brushed a piece of strange crystal lodged into his chest.

Startled by this, he fell back, tangling in the massive heap of thick blankets. Sliding across the ground, he found himself deep within the bundle of blankets, lost in the abyss of fabric and thread. Eventually he busted his way out of the cocoon, only when he needed some fresh air very badly. Gasping for breath, he pulled himself out and very slowly, made his way over to the water basin sitting on the floor all the across the other side of the room.

Once making it to the basin, he proceeded to splash his face with the water inside, letting ease away his tightly wound up muscles. As he looked down at his reflection, he noticed the pattern that ran up the left side of his face, causing him to finger it while he bent forward closer, and his heart rate beating faster. And in turn caused the crystal at his chest to start flickering faster and faster, matching the speed of his beating heart. This was all happening so fast. One moment he had been a boy who couldn't take care of himself and next he was…a boy who still couldn't take care of himself with a strange full body tattoo and a crystal stuck in his chest.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't all that different, but nonetheless, it still felt weird. Taking in deep breaths, he examined the strange crystal at his chest, watching it as the light slowly grew dimmer and the rapid flashing began slowing down. If it weren't for the fact that it was him, he would've found this pretty cool on someone else. Oh, the irony. Sighing, he decided to get some fresh air, hoping that it would at least help soothe his panic. Grabbing his journal from within his pack, he slowly got to his feet and began walking down the halls, easily finding the front entrance. If you've been in one traditional Japanese house, you've been in them all.

Once outside, he took a deep breath in of the cold air, a coolness washing over him instantly. But then he began to shiver. How could he be so stupid, coming out here with a bare upper body! Did he want to get terribly sick again? Inwardly kicking himself, he was caught off guard when a jacket came flying at him, chucked at a high speed. Hitting his head, he was stun for a moment as he watched the fabric fall to the floor, not realizing what it was until it hit the floor.

"You know you're very stupid for someone who's lived with a few Bookmen for his whole life."

Turning to the voice, he was created by Kanda again, sitting Indian still on the porch with what looked like a sword laying across his lap, a bowl resting beside him. The sight made his stomach growl. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until now.

"And who asked you?...No, wait, that came out wrong! What I mean is, I'm not stupid, I'm just a little…"

"Stupid."

"Shut up girly man!"

"Make me moyashi."

"My name is Allen."

"Moyashi."

"Allen!"

"Moyashi."

"Allen!"

"Allen."

"Moyashi!" At this, Allen groaned, face palming himself because of his mistake. Damn reverse psychology. Kanda smirked at this; it was just like old times. Again his stomach growled, this time louder than before so that they could both hear it.

"Say, do you have anything to eat around here? It feels like I haven't ate in days."

"I guess you could say that's true. Last time I fed you was two days ago, when I was in the mood to. And let me tell you, feeding you broth from my soba dishes wasn't exactly fun."

"Eww…you fed me just the broth! It's just flavored water." Moaned Allen, now understanding why his mouth had tasted sort of like soba noodles. How disgusting.

"Well I wasn't going to eat it, and I didn't want it to go to waste so I fed it to you. It's better than starving, SO QUIT COMPLAINING!"

"Alright, alright, don't get your ponytail in a bunch." He said as he sat down beside Kanda, pulling the jacket on as he did so. "You said earlier that this was your village. What do you mean by that?" he continued before gesturing out to the other buildings that were in the area.

"I meant exactly as I had said. This is my village. They took me in awhile ago, back when I had nowhere else to go. Here I lived in peace for awhile, until a crisis came up that killed the previous leader of this village. I was the only one that was able to keep the situation in check, and drive away the men that had attacked my new home. And so I became the new leader. He had no children so the vote was unanimous. Now I'm the leader of this quiet little remote village." Explained Kanda, his head turning slowly towards all the buildings in the area, the snow falling in a gentle downfall.

"Interesting…" Allen mumbled as he wrote down in his journal.

_Entry #2:_

_Profile analysis-Kanda, first name unknown. _

_A warrior, by the looks of his sword. Soba loving judging by the fact that the guy has only served me the freaking stuff! Annoying uptight guy that wears his hair like a girl. I'm not kidding, exactly like a girl. I swear, just seeing his hair up that high makes my scalp crawl. He must like the pain or something. He has a strange scar of unknowable origin on his face and possibly running down further by who knows. Must have been pretty painful to receive. _

_There is still much to learn about this Japanese leader._

_Entry #3:_

_I had a weird dream again, nothing new. But it didn't compare to the experience I had felt hours before. I'll get to it later though. Right now, I have to record the dream while it's fresh in my mind._

_I had been watching this scene, one I've only seen in pieces and in flashes. Only this time it flowed smoothly and with sound. Maybe that's why it scared me more. It was night time in this dream, the sky an ugly reddish orange color despite it being night. A boy with auburn-ish brown hair sat at a cross, his eyes filled with nothing but sorrow as tears slid down his face unregistered. Seeing him there hurt my head for some reason, the pain sharp but not lasting all too long. But still noticeable._

_Anyways, the boy was sitting by a cross, his gaze staring out at nothing in particular. Then the chuckling game, a deep and haunting one. I wasn't sure what it was coming from at first, seeing as how a fog had descended all around, causing a chill to run through me. Then, as I was beginning to fear the worst, this…this comical looking clown guy came out of nowhere. At first, I laughed, unable to control myself and knowing that they in no way could hear me. I was cracking myself up just staring at the seemingly never ending grin on his face. But that was before he spoke._

"_Mana Walker. Shall I resurrect him for you?"_

_Then I knew that this was no laughing matter._

_The boy stared at the clown dude sadly, though he did nod ever so slightly. The clownish looking fatso of a guy simply chuckled until a metalloid being popped out of nowhere, held together by what looked to be some packaging frame, inanimate at the moment. He told the boy a few things, how he need to be given a wakeup call before he came back. But I knew something was wrong, something bad was going to happen if he called out the deceased man's name. But there was nothing I could do, no way I could stop this from happening. After all, it was just a dream._

_But if that was so, why was I crying? Why was this unending dread and sorrow consuming me at the moment the boy cried out the deceased person's name? I fell uselessly to my knees as a lightning flash animate the skeleton, the name Mana being scrawled across it's metallic forehead, my arms hanging from my sides. My head was throbbing by now, screaming out to a point where it was dulling my senses. It went unregistered at the moment, my attention focusing on the awaking skeleton. It was going berserk over something, shaking it's head side to side violently before—_

Allen stopped midsentence when Kanda suddenly got to his feet, sword in hand. A few drops of stray ink fell onto the page, going unnoticed for the time being as he gazed up at Kanda. Something was agitating the samurai, his hand gripping the handle of his katana as he slowly pulled a portion of it out, as if contemplating on whether or not the rest of the sword should be relinquished. Something was wrong.

**DGMDGMDGM**

(2 weeks prior)

"I've done it! The akuma factory is finally functional. And it's all thanks to you my dear." Cheered the Earl, ecstatic that all of his past labors were finally coming into motion. If it hadn't been Road that had guided him through the process, he'd still be scratching his head over the matter.

"It was no problem, but you did promise to help me with my math before we did anything else." Hinted Road as she pulled out a sheet filled with math problems and a pencil. The new Earl chuckled, just as jolly, in a twisted insane sense, as his previous incarnate before him.

"Don't worry, I'll help you out in a second. Right now it's time to activate these babies and send them out to work." Road sighed at the comment. The Earl from before would've sat down and helped her. Or maybe not, but still. She couldn't help but miss him. His current incarnate was going to take even more time getting use to. Though some things did remain. His hatred for the innocence, most notably the Heart, and the person only known as Allen Walker.

"Alright, but afterwards, you're helping me with this algebra."

"Of course." Finished the Earl as he went back to activating the level ones he had finally managed to forge from scratch. They quickly dispersed after that, thousands of them spreading out into the world with one goal and one objective in mind.

To corrupt the grieving souls of those who had suffered the loss of a loved one. To seek out and destroy those bearing innocence.

**DGMDGMDGM**

"What's –" began Allen as he too got to his feet, only to be shushed by Kanda.

"Shut up." Interrupted Kanda. Oh, how very subtle.

Allen watched the older man, noticing how his body had stiffen and his grip on his sword tightened. Something was coming, he just didn't know what. And that was annoying him greatly. But the shrieking of the blade being slowly unsheathed brought him back to the present, making him realized that if something was indeed coming, he should just go and hide. That way, he wouldn't get in Kanda's way.

Though part of him kept him rooted in that one spot, a portion of his mind wishing he would go while his heart made him stay. It was a strange feeling to describe, the one that he was feeling. But one distinguishable feature was the desire to face the enemy, whatever it may be. It was so unlike him, his eagerness to avoid confrontation of any kind more so than most. So he found it very odd that he walked up the Japanese leader's side, stiffening as much as he was as his muscles tensed up. Ready for anything to happen.

Then, popping out into the line of vision, strange machine like creatures began ambling slowly over to where this sleepy village. At the sight of this, Kanda growled before bringing his sword up, two fingers resting on the blade as he glared at the approaching machine mechanoid beings. Allen stared in awe, filled with a strange eagerness even though his natural instinct was to flee. A part of him was eager to see their destruction. And take part in it.

'**Bring salvation to all those tormented souls…'** echoed the voice inside his head, pain erupting throughout his head. Why was this happening to him?

"Inosensu hatsudou." Whispered Kanda as he slid his fingers up the blade, a light trailing his two fingers as he did so. Allen watched in growing interest, despite the fact that his head was still in agonizing pain. His entire body felt like it was crawling. The two feelings mixed together were making it extremely unbearable.

Falling onto his hands and knees, he clutched his head in pain as the pain, and now voices, began rambling inside his head. Clenching his teeth and closing his eyes tight shut, he brought his head in between his knees, images flashing across his mind in a speed he could hardly follow. Each of them contained flashes of the white haired young man and the young woman, each having some part of them glow a greenish color before some part of their body transformed.

Meanwhile, Kanda was hacking and slashing the creatures with ease, finding no difficultly whatsoever with dispatching these monstrosities. It was a game after all. They didn't expect this to be a challenge to a man who was more at ease in battle than he was around other people. Jumping from roof to roof, he sliced down two akuma as he ran along the roof of his own home, ignoring the fact that all this noise was waking up his village. Their cries of distress and fear was something he had to ignore at the moment. He hadn't seen this much action in years.

Spinning off a swing he had delivered to a nearby akuma, Kanda spun in the air like a spinning top before he landed expertly on the opposite roof. This was way too easy thought Kanda as he destroyed another dozen. But he wasn't expecting an attack from behind as well. And in which point, he was soon overwhelmed by the hundreds of akuma that were swarming in like locus. It was if they were drawn to this one area by something…

Dodging a bullet narrowly, he looked down to see Allen still in his crouched position, still in ever agonizing pain. Akuma were slowly drawing nearer, their cannon barrels aiming towards him. Growling, he went to retrieve the idiot boy when more akuma got into his path, blocking him from reaching Allen. Snarling, he hacked his way through, finding that this hardly changed matters. Where was that stupid Bookman?!

His question was soon answered when said person came bursting out of the roof of his home, a large hammer in his hands as he leaped into the sky. Ramming it down into an akuma, the machinery burst into a fiery inferno as flames consumed the insides. Falling down back onto the roof that Kanda was currently on, he gave the Japanese man a smirk as he re-gripped his travel worn hammer. Just like the good old days back when they were kids.

"Just like old times, eh Yu?" remarked Lavi as his hammer slammed into another akuma, that one too bursting into flames.

"It's Kanda you red headed idiot! Besides, we've got more pressing matters to attend to rather than reminiscing over the past. Look." Said Kanda as he pointed over to where Allen was, then over to the akuma that were drawing closer and closer.

Fear replaced the enthrallment that had been there before, Lavi's face showing a terror that caused his hammer to flare up in power even more, the flames it was harboring getting stronger. His fear was fuelling his innocence. As he went to defend him, an akuma got into his path, only causing him to get angrier and angrier. Where were all these things coming from. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he sank his hammer into the machines of hell and began slowly making his way through the lines. He knew he wasn't going to make it time.

"Allen!!!" cried Lavi in one final attempt of alerting his son, after trying to get to him had seemingly failed.

Allen clutched his head tighter, the voices getting louder and redundant. It kept on saying the same thing over and over, the flashes repeating themselves by now. It kept on saying Innocence Activate over and over again. It was unbearable at this point. He didn't know what else to do that would drive away the pain and keep him sane. Unbeknownst to him, the tattoo and the crystal in his chest were glowing, the green hue getting stronger and stronger as the voices got louder.

'…**Innocence…'**

"…W-what…"

'…**Innocence…Activate…'**

"…I-I don-don't know h-how or w-what you me-mean…"

'**ACTIVATE!'** the whispers said one final time before something inside his head clicked.

At that moment, he wasn't at the Japanese man's home anymore. He was in a field of flowers, watching the sky as two people sore through the sky, one carrying the other. A feeling of longing to join them filled him as he looked away ashamed. As he stared at his feet in disappointment, he suddenly felt gentle hands rest upon his shoulders, drawing back his attention.

"You want to come?" asked the girl, a smile on her face.

"Yes…" he answered as he clasped both his and her hands, the two of them pulling him up off the ground and up into the air. What he felt was a feeling indescribable, that those only there would be able to understand. But now he realized why that was so. It was because he was finally getting a chance to be with the boy and the girl.

The dream like experience soon faded away, giving back to what was reality and the current situation. The pain was at its peak, the flashes still repeating inside his head. He had to say it, whether he wanted to or not. It might be the only way to rid himself from this pain, if anything. So he had to do what he had to do. But it might not make much difference. Still, he had to try.

"Innocence…Activate!"

_Author's Note: I don't have a lot to say about this chapter, other than, yes it was left sort of as a cliff hanger but tough luck. You'll have to wait to see what happens next. Please Review_


	5. Activate

Ch. 5: Activate

At the utterance of those words, his entire body became encompassed in a ray of bright green light, his body beginning to change as the innocence inside him activated. Tattoos that trailed his body began twisting and distorting all over his body, more of it concentrating on his arms and legs more than anything. This in turn caused said body parts to morph, fingers extending out like talons as a sheen of metal ran along his arms. Shackle like bracelets dangled at his wrists, broken chains attached to the ends.

Bulky and heavy boots ran up his leg, stopping half way up his calves. They took the form of average leather boots, only reinforced and structured as metallic pieces instead of leather. Shackles also rested around his ankles, the chains broken and decrypted as well. Wings could be seen tattooed to his back, the glow of the innocence strong enough to be seen underneath the jacket. The tattoo marking at his eye was coiling around it, creating a spiral around his eye as the iris became a brilliant gold, while the other remained the normal blue grey.

"Deliverer of Punishment, Seeker of Justice. This is the Avenging Angel." Stated Allen as he got to his feet, the innocence light on his back casting out so that it seemed like angel wings were spreading out behind him.

Lavi and Kanda watched as his far off gaze turned to them, his other eye now dyeing gold as he flexed his now talon fingers. A sort of sadistic smile came upon his face, the kind that slowly grew in mirth as the eyes showed a deeper understanding that one didn't normally let on. It was startling, to say the least, to see it on the face of a boy who was dense and naïve on most aspects. This…this was frightening.

The far off look he had in his eyes was due mostly to the fact that his mind's eye was flashing images of the boy and girl fighting with transformed parts of their body, showing him how it was done. He didn't feel like he was watching them though, he felt like he was doing it alongside them, performing the same move with them. That ultimately led to why he began fighting expertly, seeing as how he had had no training whatsoever in his life when it came to combat.

Swiping out at a line of akuma, he spun in the air before diving back down, sending powerful kicks here and there as he fell onto the roof roughly. Not hesitating, he charged forward, the boots accelerating him forward at an unimaginable pace. Crosses soon followed his trail, latching onto the akumas as he ran past them before exploding soon after. It was all happening so fast that Lavi and Kanda were having a hard time following, for the line of akuma that had the village surrounded were depleting rapidly. Soon after he jumped into the air, a light growing on his back as he bunched up into a ball.

"Final Verdict: Sparing Judgment." Cried Allen before unleashing the energy that had built up, the angelic wings spreading out wide as they glistened in light, shards shooting out from the feathers and embedding themselves into the remaining akuma. Allen brought his left hand up to his face, gazing down at the silver talons in despair before a gentle smile came upon his lips.

"Bring forth salvation to these tormented akuma souls."

Having said that, he slashed out into thin air and before they all knew it, all the shards that had once embedded themselves onto the akumas exploded, taking them with it. Kanda watched with aggravation as his moment of battle had been brought to an end, nothing left to do but sheath his gored sword and call it a night. Lavi, on the other hand, was in relief, well partial relief, as he ran over to where Allen was plummeting down to the ground.

Jumping off the roof, he rushed over to where Allen had fallen to the ground as his hammer melted back into the collar around his neck. Skidding to halt, he froze as he stared down at his son, fear filling him as he continued watching what was going on. Allen was laying on his back, spread eagle as his eyes had now become unending pools of gold, his mouth moving as he continued muttering something under his breath. Blood was dripping down his temple, his fringe hiding the source of the cut.

But Lavi could've sworn he hadn't been hurt.

Once getting enough sense over him, Lavi got to the boy's level and began shaking him, desperate to snap him out of his schizophrenic state. The way he kept muttering was starting to creep him out, the words making his skin crawl for some reason. He kept repeating this: They're coming for us, they're coming to kill us. It was disturbing seeing him like this, especially when he was sure that in by 'us', he didn't mean him or Kanda.

"Allen, wake up. You're going to have to wake up." Replied Lavi through a voice straining to remain calm as he continued shaking him, his mutterings making him want to flee more and more. It was very daunting.

Eventually, when Lavi was just about ready to give up, Allen finally snapped out of it. Eyes closing for a moment, his body relaxed and the muttering stopped as his body began reverting back to normal. After this was accomplished, he reopened his eyes slowly, as if he had been asleep this whole time. And thankfully they weren't the gold color anymore, but his normal blue grey. Everything appeared to be back to normal. At least for now.

"Err…what happened?" asked Allen as he sat up, a hand going to his head as he moaned in pain. As he did this, he moved back strands of his hair, revealing the mark that had brought blood. Half of a stigmata mark was on his temple, the cut slowly healing over until there was nothing left but a scar.

"We…"

"We were attacked by things called akuma. Ever heard of them?" replied Kanda gruffly as he pulled Allen up to his feet roughly, taking the time to look him over.

"Are those what those things are called?" asked Allen, as his head turned to follow Kanda as he circled him over and over.

"So you do remember what happened."

"Yeah, just bits and pieces though. But what's….what's wrong with me? What happened to me dad?!" demanded Allen as he pushed out of Kanda's perimeter of pacing and pointed an accusing finger at Lavi.

"I…" Lavi froze up, unable to handle the distress he saw in the boy's eyes as he asked him that question.

"Just tell him the damn truth for once usagi!" growled Kanda as he stomped away, making his rounds to appease the distressed villagers.

"What does he mean?"

"He means…he means that I haven't been completely honest with you. Allen…I wasn't just a Bookman and neither was your uncle when we were younger. We were, Kanda included, people known as exorcists. We fought creatures such as those in an attempt to fight back the darkness with things called innocence.

Innocence is a tool given to humanity so that we have a chance to fight back all the evil that has leaked into our world. And many years ago, we fought this darkness one last time, as a final means of ending this holy war and many people's lives were lost that day—"

"Just like mom's?" interrupted Allen, broaching the subject that Lavi was very uncomfortable speaking about. But he had to know.

"Yeah, just like your mom's. But I don't want you to think she was weak or anything because she died. Believe me, she was stronger than most. She fought and died so that you may live in a better world than we did." Replied Lavi, a pained expression coming upon his face as he remembered that day all those years ago. The pain was still fresh, even after all these years later.

"If you loved her enough, then you would've saved her? You did love her right?" asked Allen, panic in his features once he finally learned that his mother was dead just so that he could live.

"There was nothing I could do, that was her own choice!" yelled Lavi unintentionally, not liking this 20 questions session very much. Not when he asked him if he loved her. "…yes, I did love her. With all my heart."

Lavi turned away after this, gritting his teeth as his overdue confession. But he didn't know that, nor did he need to. He would just have to believe that his mother was dead for his sake. He hated all this lying, but it was in the best interest of Allen. Besides, he didn't think he'd be able to get out all the lies that he had brought down upon his shoulders. Anymore and he was afraid he would break.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's alright, I haven't felt this much relief in years." Chuckled Lavi in mock cheerfulness. Turning back to Allen, he gave the teen a goofy smile before walking away back to Kanda's house.

Allen watched him go, a look of worry in his eyes as he stood there scratching the back of his head. Some of it didn't feel right to him, but, what did he know. Looking at his hands, he took note at how a cross like pattern rested on his palms and how they felt familiar. Sighing, he ran after his father, eager to have more of his questions answered.

But he didn't notice that Lavi had taken a turn away, his back against a nearby tree as he hid from Allen for now. Hand covering his mouth, he slowly slid down the bark as fresh tears began sliding down his cheek.

"Please forgive me…for all the sins I have forged from all the lies I have uttered." Sobbed Lavi, unable to control his shaking. He was finally acknowledging all the lies he had spoken to Allen and realizing that they weren't going to be the last.

**DGMDGMDGM**

To his dismay, none of his remaining questions were answer and that left Allen nothing else to do but to finish his entries. He did this in the corner of the living room, the other two wishing he stay out of the conversation they were having at the moment. He wish he knew what they were talking about but right now he occupied himself with recording his thoughts and experiences. At least this kept him busy.

"What do you think we should do now?" asked Lavi casually, knowing that they couldn't stay here any longer.

"We? What's this we business?"

"By we I mean the three of us. We can't stay here, none of us can.:

"Then what do you propose all mighty Bookman?"

"You know where we must go from here. You know just as well as I do what we must do." Whispered Lavi regretfully. They had no other available option left.

"Then say it. I thought you were one of us. Or are you too afraid to face him after all these years?" accused Kanda, knowing full and well that this would hit a nerve.

"Shut up! I did it for his own good. It doesn't matter now, what's done is done. Besides, he might not be there anymore."

"Do you really think he has any other place to go? Without her, there is no other place he can go. He's going to be at one of the Branches. And it's probably the Asian Branch." Mumbled Kanda as he took a sip of herbal tea. Kanda was right though. If he was going to be anywhere, it was the Asian Branch.

"Fine, then it's settled. We leave for the Asian Branch tomorrow. I suggest you get prepared for an early start tomorrow, we're leaving at dawn."

"Tch."

With that having been said, Lavi turned back to Allen, only find him meditating, his eyes unfocused and half-lidded as kept his hands on his knees. He usually did this when he was lost in thought, usually allowing his conscious mind to wander while he pondered on something that was bothering him. It was a technique Lavi had shown him a while back, something he had taken away from Kanda's meditation methods.

Sighing, he placed a blanket over his shoulders and proceeded to head for his room where he would begin packing. When he said they were leaving at dawn, he meant it. They had no time to stay here.

**DGMDGMDGM**

"Damn it! I thought there weren't any of those pesky exorcists still left?" asked the Earl as he discovered that a fresh hoard of his beloved akuma had been destroyed by pockets of people around the world. But it was only a few. It wouldn't make much difference in the long run.

"I guess not. But don't fret, for we've got an even better force on our side. They won't be as strong if they are as unorganized as this."

"You're right! Back in my previous life, they had had whole organizations devoted to our destruction. But now it is us that are more prepared than we are. What would I ever do without you my dear?"

"I don't know. Probably get off task as usual in favor of making more akumas. But that doesn't sound very fun. You know what sounds fun?"

"What?"

"Playing hide and seek. In this case, the exorcists have to hide while we count. And they've got 10 seconds to hide before we go looking for them. And eventually, they'll all be found. The same could be said for the other 12 Noah that have yet awakened, but that's much more of a challenge."

"Hmm…you do make a good point. Why don't we separate then? I'll take the challenge while you find our illusive friends." Stated the Earl as he and Road stared at each other intensely.

"Shall we go then?" said the Earl as he offered her his arm, which she gladly took as she conjured up a door that would lead them to the nearest exorcist before they went their separate ways.

This was surely going to be one master hide and seek game.

**DGMDGMDGM**

Dawn was fast to approach, and true to his word, Lavi was up at the crack of dawn, with him Kanda and Allen. Both were grouchy, neither one of them favoring of talking so early in the morning. Groggy face and droopy eyed, the two stood there as Lavi went about handing them their bags, those of which they didn't pay much attention to and instead strapped them to their backs.

He was so tired that Allen had even asked where they were going all the sudden. He was now leaning on Kanda, drool sliding down his chin as he snored loudly, Kanda fighting to keep his eyes open at the moment rather than with the young boy. He didn't even react to when Lavi would call him Yu, signifying that he too was extremely tired. Lavi found the two quite amusing if you asked him. This was a rare moment after all.

"Come on you two, we've got a lot of ground to cover in just a short amount of time. We need to make it back to the port in about three days so might as well get going." Instructed Lavi as he shouldered his pack and began walking forward.

Kanda grunted and began dragging his feet forward as he pulled Allen along with him. They didn't get very far until a girl in her early twenties came running towards them, calling out for them to wait as she came up to them. This caused Kanda to perk up initially, Lavi only stopping when he noticed that she was speaking English rather well for someone in Japan, and Allen falling to the floor when Kanda moved out of the way and let go.

"Wait shishou!" breathed the girl as she came to a slow halt in front of Kanda. Panting as she struggled to catch her breath, she looked up at the Japanese man with a determined look on her face.

"What are you doing here Mizuki?" questioned the samurai, not liking how she knew they were leaving.

"You told me once, when I was a little girl and I had just became your apprentice, that someday you were going to leave this small village and that you were going to take me with you." Replied Mizuki, hands on her hips as she reminded him the vow he had made.

"Oh you naughty, naughty boy Yu." Teased Lavi before he was rudely elbowed by the Japanese man in chest, ending any further comments that would make the young woman blush even more.

"It's not like that you stupid Bookman. Anyways, this is dangerous and might be hard for you to understand—"

"What is there that I can't understand? We were attacked by akumas last night, and you guys stopped them. I would've helped but I was too busy making sure the villagers didn't get in the way."

"Wait, you have innocence?" asked Lavi, now curious over her latest statement. She gave a nod before pulling out a rapier sword that was still in its crude form. The blade was about three feet long, the hilt comprised of twisting wings and vines.

Lavi looked at it with interest, taking out of her hands and running his fingers along the metallic blade. Nodding with approval, he handed the blade back to the young Japanese woman before turning to see Allen snoozing on the floor. Sighing, he pulled the teen back up to his feet while Kanda finished talking with his student.

"Why do you want to come?"

"Because I want to become an exorcist, just like you."

"It's not exactly the most interesting life."

"And you think staying here is? Yu, I want to help and becoming an exorcist is the only I can do that. Even if you don't want me too, there's no way you can stop me from joining you in the long run. I'm coming with you whether you want me to or not and that's final!" concluded Mizuki as she shoved past her master and took the lead as Lavi supported a snoozing Allen along.

Kanda watched with a quirked eyebrow as the little group set off, annoyed that his apprentice would deliberately declare herself in the party and a part of the journey to the Asian Branch. But she was free spirited, something he had detected in her early on. And she reminded him a lot of the person who he was still searching for to this day, even though he hardly had any leads as to who she was. But a part of him felt that it was her, just reincarnated.

Oh well, he'll just have to wait and see.

_Author's Note: Yes, my first OC has been introduced. There will be more, just to warn you all. More information on her will be revealed in the next few chapters or so. And possibly her relationship with Kanda, cause I think I'm going to lean more towards a relationship that expands further than the normal 'master and apprentice' relationship. But we'll see. _

_If you think I should or shouldn't, let me know. But I am fully aware that there is a rather big age difference (ok maybe not so alarming), seeing as how he's about 34 in this and she's about 24. I find that much more interesting though._

_This is only a piece of Allen's innocence potential. As time goes on, it'll become stronger. So don't let this form feel a little disappointing. There is much in store for his innocence._


	6. Mutterings

Ch. 6: Mutterings

The group of four eventually made it to the Shinmi pass, located along the Yotei mountain range. At which point, Allen had earned himself a mild cold and twisted ankle. Yes, even with innocence, he was still just the boy with a weak immune system and average motor skills. So, to his utter embarrassment, he was now being carried around on the back of his father. Not that he wouldn't have normally minded, it was just that they were in the presence of others he was still uncomfortable around, preferably Mizuki.

Not that he wasn't use to seeing women, believe me he's seen many with different cultural features and preferences. It was just the fact that he wasn't use to being actually around them for long periods of time. Mizuki in particular. Ever since he had enough sense to actually know what was going on, he had become…somewhat _excited _when he had first laid eyes on her. He couldn't tell what it was from, her rosy cheeks, her pouty lips, or her vivacious breasts. But in all likelihood, it was probably her breasts.

He couldn't help it, he was in that delicate stage where women were starting to make him horny. It was only sometimes, thankfully, but he had a strange feeling that whenever it did happen, she knew it. That's why travelling with her made him very uncomfortable, and not just because of that. Well, for one thing, she always seemed to smile at him for no apparent reason whenever their eyes so happen to meet. And after he gives her a puzzled look, she'd giggle at some unknown joke. Then she would go to Kanda and whisper something to him before giggling some more, he sometimes giving off a tiny smirk. Was there something that they knew and he didn't?

Eventually their quick pace was brought to an end when the sun began sinking down, telling them that it was once again time to build a makeshift camp. Dropping gently to the ground, Lavi and Kanda proceeded to gather some fire wood while Allen stayed behind with Mizuki. How convenient.

Sighing, he began pulling out the cooking items in his pack, his rightful duty to make them all something to eat. Out of all of them, he was the best when it came to cooking. Actually, out of all his possible and actual flaws, cooking wasn't one of them. He had learned at young age how to cook a fairly good meal, one that was certainly better than that of his father's or uncle's. You'd get real good real fast if you didn't want to have another burnt dinner. So, from then on, he had been cooking the meals for everyone. It wasn't something he was forced to do, it was something he wanted to do. It made him feel…good.

As he continued pulling out instruments he would use for cooking, Mizuki continued to watch him.

"I see you enjoy cooking, that's something you don't see very often in a guy." Commented Mizuki as she gave him another one of her smiles that made him blush.

"I guess I do. I learned at a very young age that my dad wasn't exactly the best of chefs, so I took up cooking and found out I wasn't so bad. I've only gotten this far from practice but I guess practice makes perfect." Replied Allen as he scooped up some snow and dumped it into a good sized pot, not without sneezing his nose off though. Damn cold.

Sighing groggily, he proceeded to wipe his running nose with the back of his hand when Mizuki handed him a handkerchief. Taking it gratefully, he blew his nose as she continued gazing at him.

"You know…you match the description of this boy Yu use to tell me about back when I was around your age."

"I don't know who you're talking about but I certainly didn't know you when you were my age."

"No not YOU, as in yourself. I mean YU as in Kanda. That's his name." she replied giggling, finding his embarrassed expression amusing.

"Oh, I didn't know that was his name. But what do you mean by boy? My father Lavi?"

"No it wasn't the Bookman. He said it was a young man that was cursed to see the souls of akuma. He was the one who had ended the war, or at least postponed it for a while, with the young woman he loved, and they both perished because of it."

"Jeez, I remind him of a dead guy. How flattering." Mused Allen as he went to pulling out the ingredients of tonight's stew.

"Don't say that! He was a hero; we'd all probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him or the young woman. Even Yu, though he denied it afterwards, thought that he had became a man in that fight. He holds high regards towards that guy, even though he'll never admit it." Countered Mizuki, getting slightly annoyed over his rather rude behavior. But she didn't know that this conversation was starting to bum him out. To a point where it was becoming depressing.

"Well excuse me, but did you have any family member out in that final battle? Did your mother fight out there, just so that you could live? Did she die just so that you could live?" questioned Allen angrily, glaring daggers at the startled young woman before him.

Both of them remained in their fixed positions as they stared at the other. Allen's eyebrows were knitted forward to show his anger while she looked to him in astonishment. She hadn't realized that this was why he had been rather rude about an obviously epic hero. Now she felt stupid, wishing that she had caught the signs earlier before it had became too late.

"I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Just forget it, it doesn't matter anyways. I didn't even know her."

Lavi and Kanda returned soon afterwards, leaving no room for further discussion. Mizuki desperately wanted to fix the wrong she had made but every time she went over to him, he'd turn away, his focus solely on preparing the meal. Eventually she gave in, deciding that she would corner him about it later. Right now she was having a Q&A session with Lavi, to Kanda's grievance.

"So, tell me again, how is it that you've met our beloved Yu-chan?"

"Well, it was sort of like this…"

_flashback_

It was a beautiful spring that year, all the blossoms out in full bloom. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my whole 9 year life. I stood under a tree in full bloom, admiring the features when a figure from the distance came staggering over. I froze, unsure of who or what was coming until it came closer, revealing that the figure was of a young man.

From what I could tell, the person was tired, his movements sluggish as he made his way toward our sleepy village. He must've been because he was in a bulky suite of armor in the style of the classic samurai, leaving me to assume that that was what he was. He even had the katana to prove it, which hung in his hand loosely. Out of nowhere though, he stopped walking, our eyes locking with each other as we stared at the other.

A strange feeling of recognition washed over me as I gazed into his sharp grey eyes even though I was positive that I had never seen that man in my entire life. Suddenly I felt my eyes water for some unknown reason, his doing the same as I slowly walked up to him while he remained rooted on the spot. Tears of happiness and joy began streaming down my face, my emotions wielding up as he threw myself at him, wrapping my lanky arms around his waist. He hesitantly wrapped an arm around me, getting down onto his knees as my hold around him shifted to his neck.

I could feel his body go taunt as he pulled me tighter, his eyes filled with shock over his actions as the tears continued to glisten in his eyes. We stayed like that for awhile, neither of us saying a word as he remained in silence. Eventually I pulled away, wiping away the tears that still ran down my cheeks as we went back to staring at each other. And right then and there I knew this was the person I had always felt I needed to find, the one person that my heart cried out to. I think he felt the same way.

"I've missed you." I replied as I grasped his empty hand in-between my own. His eyes softened because of this. I smiled, still filled with joy before I suddenly drew my hand away upon feeling something warm and sticky. Blood clung to my palm, which led me to believe that he was hurt. Looking up, I noticed a small smile play on his lips before he fell forward, succumbing to exhaustion.

Afterwards I ran to my parents, telling them that there was a man that needed help at the front of the village. They reacted quickly, like anyone would in this village and soon we began taking care of him. He didn't speak much, just a word or two here and there as he got better. But that was when he was around the others. With me, it was different sort of. Sure, his hostile tone was always the same, but there would be tenderness in his eyes that only showed whenever we happened to be alone together.

We never felt more comfortable with anyone else other than each other. It felt as though our spirits had finally been reunited with each other. That's how I felt at least, I never really told him of about it. I could just tell by the way he looked at me sometimes.

_end of flashback_

For the first time ever, a very faint tint of red could be seen on Kanda's face as she finished telling Lavi about the first time they met. Unable to stand the stares he was getting from the redhead, he gruffly excused himself, saying he had to go kill something. They knew that that was only an excuse and that he really was just trying to find a way out of this situation. The two of them knew him too well.

"So I'm assuming that eventually you received innocence and Kanda was the one who taught you all about being an exorcist.

She nodded, taking the cup of tea Allen had offered her. She went to thank him but he moved away before she had a chance to so, going back to his stemming stew as he began pouring them all some in bowls. He hadn't said a word throughout the entirety of her story, choosing to remain preparing their dinner in silence. She wished he wasn't like this and that he would just let her apologize properly but no, he just had to be pigheaded about this.

Lavi had also noticed the change in him but decided to leave it be. He had had endured a lot in just a couple of days, he was probably just mulling it over in his head. It would pass over eventually. Asking about it would only make it worst. So he quiet sipped his tea as Allen distributed the stew between them all, saving a bowl for Kanda whenever he showed up.

Allen sat a little ways away from the other two, taking in small spoon full's of the stew he had made from scratch. He was thinking about what Mizuki had said, how he reminded Kanda of someone. Who that someone was he desperately want to know but could muster the courage to ask her. He had felt foolish for yelling at her earlier and wished that it hadn't even happened but even he couldn't turn back time. If he could, then maybe he'd be able to prevent his mother's death and maybe then he and his father could live a normal life. But that was a wishful dream.

'_I wish I knew where my path was going. Ever since I was little, I've known where I was suppose to go. I just followed the path my dad was treading, never once thinking that it wasn't the one should be following.'_ Thought Allen sadly, grimacing in annoyance.

'**No one ever knows where they are suppose to go, but it's up to you to create a path on your own. Even if you are unsure of where it might lead.'** Reassured one of the voices inside his head. Hmph that sounded so crazy despite the fact that it was true. He knew he wasn't in any way crazy enough to be making up voices in his own head. It was just a fact.

'_Easier for you to say, you're not the one that's clueless.'_

'**I was once, but then it became clear.'**

'_Really? Where did it lead you?'_

'**I'm not sure, I don't remember.'**

'_How reassuring…'_ he thought sourly, only to have the voice he was talking to laugh, one filled with amusement. He was finding this discussion quite amusing. Allen, on the other hand, was not.

'_Say, what are you exactly? Are you some sort of piece of my conscious that tells me things when I need them or are you and the others something more?'_

At this question there was a pause, the voice not jumping in right away like he thought he would. This was a little annoying. First, he comes unannounced. Then he just leaves so unexpectedly, without even answering his question. If he was going to start doing that then he was going to have to give a little heads up before he did. Because now he was starting to feel lonely.

'**This isn't the right time for you to learn our identities. You wouldn't be able to understand…the situation we are in. But you will learn in due time, I promise you that. So for now, you'll have to wait.'**

'_**Why make the kid wait when he can know now?**__'_ commented another voice, this one sounding deeper than the first

Allen cringed as another one of the voices inside his head voiced their opinion, this one deeper than the first. His head started to throb in pain, the pain increasing by the second. Bringing a hand to his forehead, he forgot all about the bowl full of stew as hunched forward, his head feeling like it was splitting into two. His body began feeling weird, as if his skin was getting ready to get up and crawl off his body. This and his body were starting to become unbearable.

Knocking the bowl away forcefully, he finally allowed himself to cry out as both hands were now pressed forcefully against the sides of his head. Back arcing, he fell back as the whispers grew in intensity, never reaching a point where he could actually understand what they were saying. The pain from within his head had triggered a nose bleed to suddenly start, the blood slowly oozing out as he clawed at his face.

By now Lavi and Mizuki were already at his side, both looking at him in fear as they tried snapping him out of the fit. Nothing seemed to be working though, his cries only getting louder and louder as untold images kept flashing within his mind's eye, the whispers at their acme. Images of trapped souls were what he was subjected to, waves of fear, sorrow, and pain rolling off them and into him. The more he saw, the more disgusted he felt, his stomach already turning at the grotesque spirit of some child like monster.

"What's happening to him?" asked Mizuki as she tried prying Allen's hands from his head.

"I…I don't know." replied Lavi in defeat, panic rising. Closing his eye, he gritted his teeth until suddenly, he felt a hand press firmly against his cheek. Opening his eye at that, he looked down to see Allen looking up at him, one of his hands pressed against the side of his face as a familiar smile came onto his face, the shade of his eyes darkening. It was as if someone else was trying to communicate with him.

"…They're coming to get us…" he said, his voice calm as his smile started distorting to one that appeared twisted and insane, the color of his eyes flickering a gold color as he brought his hand back to his face. Lavi stared in shock, a gasp escaping his lips as Allen began laughing like a psycho, his gold eyes bulging as he continued laughing with a hand pressed against his face. Then suddenly, psychotic laughter came to an abrupt halt, a look of infuriation crossing his face as he began talking to himself.

"Shut up! You were the one who started it." He mumbled under his breath, his head turning to his right, as if there were someone there.

"I never meant for it to go this far. Now release his mind!" he replied to his own statement, his features flickering back and forth between the look of collectiveness to one of annoyance. At this point, Lavi was in total belief that his son had just walked off the fine line of sanity and had now developed multiple personalities. Well that's what anyone would've believed.

"Get a grip Allen! Snap out of it!" cried Lavi as he grabbed a hold of the boy's collar and began shaking him furiously, hot tears sliding down his face. Why did innocence have to go and drive him insane? At this, Allen stopped his own argument and turned to look at Lavi, his eyes cold as he glared up at him.

"I'm sorry, but Allen isn't here at the moment. Would you like me to take a message?"

Lavi looked down in surprise, his expression causing 'Allen' to laugh out in glee. Then an explosion drew their attention to the right, Kanda running out of the line of trees with akuma on his tail. 'Allen' pulled himself out of Lavi's grip, a look of satisfaction coming onto his face as he looked at the approaching akuma. But that only lasted for a second until his face suddenly went blank, his eyes becoming distant as the golden color melted away. Then he just stood there, a far off look in his eyes.

With the exception of a few face twitches, he remained absolutely still, as if something was holding him back as the akuma drew closer. The akuma all pointed their cannons at his still form, their weapons charging up as they prepared to fire. But before they could fire, Mizuki pushed him out of the way while Lavi charged forward, hammer forming in hand. Rolling across the snow covered floor, Mizuki remained a top of Allen as she withdrew her rapier sword, prepared to defend him if need be.

Allen didn't even react to being knocked to the ground, his vacant gaze starting out at nothing as his mind was currently engaged with something else. Something along the lines of talking with the voices inside his head. Like **that** didn't sound all too weird.

_Author's Note: Yes, he did seem rather insane with those shifts in personality, but it'll make a little more sense as the story progresses. Don't worry, you'll eventually learn why this happened (the sudden shifts and so called 'whispers' that cause him pain), but until then, you'll have to wait. I'll try updating as soon as I can! _


	7. Ink on Paper, Nothing but History

Ch. 7: Ink on Paper, Nothing but History

_ I gave a heavy sigh. I was inside my head…again. Honestly, what else can go wrong? I wish I wasn't like this in the first place. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about figuring out what the hell this was all about. As I was walking under a star filled sky, a path seemingly already in front of me, I suddenly felt a chillness wash over me that signaled another's presence. My eyes shifted side to side until I finally turned around, coming face to face with the black haired young woman. _

_ Now that I think about it, she hasn't really asserted herself from the other two, never saying much. But hey, I've only discovered their presences a few days ago. There was no time for me to be jumping to conclusions like that. You could never be too sure though._

_ She gave me a tender smile, one that soon became very contagious for I too began smiling. I don't know why but a feeling of familiarity blazed up inside me, her features stirring up primal urges for security and warmth the longer I gazed at her. I had seen her before, outside of my own head. But where was that exactly?_

"_I think you're lost."__ She said, as if I didn't already know that. _

"_Yeah, well…it's not like I came here by choice. Those other two drove me here, wherever here is exactly…" I trailed off, my hands gesturing out to the expanse of grass plain surrounding us, the path we both stood on the only dent within the grass. _

"_Here is whatever you want it to be. You just have to believe and it will be so. This is your own dream world inside your head."_

_ As she said this, she grabbed a hold of my hand, the scene changing as she did so. Instead of grassy plains and starry skies, we were now walking through a forest, similar to the ones I had traveled through while dad and I were in China a few years back. The forest had been nice, from what I could remember of it. Before I had time to admire its beauty though, the scene changed again, this time switching to a typical village within China. _

"_Where are you taking me? I thought you said this was my own dream world, why are you leading me around it?"_

"_Who said anything about this being a part of your own dream?__"_

_ My chest tightened at her words, panic causing me to pull away from her touch. The scene melted back to the one that had been there in the first place, the one of the grass field underneath a star filled sky. We both stared at each other, her face showing her stun while mine was probably something along the lines of fear. I didn't know who she was, therefore I didn't know whether or not I could trust her. But the smile of understanding that was coming onto her face was making a whole lot harder not to._

"_Who are you?" I asked, in desperate need of some answers. All she did though, was giggle before tapping the side of her head, as showing me that I should think. But having the use of thought didn't seem all that useful inside a place like this. What am I saying? This is a world created by me, it should be based on my own thoughts and emotions, right?_

_Ok, now I was just giving myself a massive headache. _

"_Ok then, I guess I should probably–" I began before looking up to see her directly in front of me, our bodies only mere inches apart. I could already feel my body begin to sweat. What was with her and getting past personal space? And then, to only make it worst, she placed her untarnished hand against my chest, pressed over my heart. Oh God…_

"_Look deep inside your heart, you'll find the answers buried away, locked behind closed doors. Open those doors, you have the key."_

_ My previous mistrust for her disappeared as I sensed the sincerity and truth to her words. And then somehow, I found myself turned back in time to when I was five years old, looking exactly as I had at that age. So, seeing as how I was drastically shorter than her now, she crouched down to my level, her violet eyes focused solely on me. It made me feel important for some reason, and strangely connected with her. _

_ Her tender smile grew as she took a pained intake of breath, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks as she kissed my forehead. Her tears stained my forehead as she did so, her arms shakingly wrapping around me as she held me close. I could sense that she was in so much pain, pain that I couldn't quite understand. Before I could even speak though, she pulled away, a figure looming over her._

_ Looking up, I saw that it was the white haired gentleman, his face harboring a similar sadness that was clearly oozing off her in waves. His right hand rested on her shoulder, a sign of comfort and assurance despite what he said next._

"**It's time to go my love, we've already done too much."**

"_But he needs to know!"_

_ He gave her a grave look that silently said that it had to wait. She seemed to understand this as she reluctantly got to her feet, her gaze never leaving mine though. I felt a hand trail the side of my face as she stood up, my own sadness flaring up as I watched her sorrowful violet eyes. She started to step back once she was on her feet, still facing me as her hand started to slide off my cheek. _

_ I could feel my eyes begin to wield up as she inched away, the two of them facing me as they slowly walked back hand in hand. The white haired gentleman had a look of guilt and shame as he stared at me, his silver eyes shining in the starlight. I could tell that he wanted to stay but knew that he couldn't. And I wanted him to stay. I wanted both of them to stay. But they wouldn't, or couldn't, I wasn't really sure which it was, no matter how much I cried for them to stop. _

_ A certain urgency filled me, an instinct to remain with the two that had felt distantly familiar rising as I tried following them as they ambled away. But everything was starting to fall apart, like glass as soon as it hits the floor. I could hear myself, still stuck as a five year old, cry out in anguish, my voice howling as my whole world collapsed within itself, everything around me shattering into glass shards. Last thing I heard before I was sent back to reality was this:_

"_Please forgive us…"_

**DGMDGMDGM**

Moaning lightly, Allen rubbed his throbbing head as he rolled over, eyes starting to focus as he did so. But what greeted him was something he hadn't thought would happen in his wildest of dreams, or really ever. Any boy's fantasy would be achieved if they were in a situation such as his own. Only inches away from being smothered were Mizuki's nicely proportional breast, just right there in front of him.

This proximity to this desirable portion of her body caused him to blush like crazy, his own thoughts spinning out of control as he scrabbled himself away from underneath her. Hair sticking up on end as his face began reddening even further than it already was, he continued gaping at her once he was free from beneath her. He was making un-comprehensible noises, struggling to complete a sentence while his thoughts kept jumbling into one another, causing his speech to turn off in random directions.

The only thing that she seemed to understand was the fact that he was pointing at her, then at himself in his furtive desire to make it clear that he hadn't meant to be underneath. Like he had had any control of the matter to begin with though, she was the one that had knocked him to the ground so that he wouldn't get attack by the akuma. But being a rather timid boy whose confidence was slightly below average, he figured it was his duty to apologize for a thing he didn't rightfully do.

"I-I…I di-didn't…I-I was-wasn't tr-trying to…I…" rambled Allen, far past the point of red in the face. Mizuki just looked to him in annoyance. Now was not the time for him to go all teenage boy on her, especially when he didn't even do anything.

"Get down!" she cried as she jumped to her feet, hand tightening around the handle of her rapier. Concentrating, she focused all of her sheer will onto the sword and before she knew it, the weapon was glowing, incased in a brilliant white light.

Instantaneously the blade of her weapon grew in size, extending outwards as she dropped into a stance, the stance unbefitting of the type of sword she carried. But it wasn't like it mattered. After all, her only teacher had been Kanda; no other explanation was needed. Only when the akuma were finally upon her did she strike, jumping into the fray with ease as she plunged the end of her long sword into one of the machines of hell. Exploding soon after, she pushed back as she spun in the air, throwing her sword away like a boomerang. Spinning through the air, it sliced through a couple of them before it came rebounding back to her, falling into her opened hand before she plunged the end of the blade into the snow covered ground.

"Zensei, Kaichū Ichigen!"

Suddenly, cracks issued out from where her blade remained plunged in the earth, a dull roar coming out from within as the cracks grew in size. Then suddenly, demonic like insects came squirming out of the cracks, shooting up into the air as they charged towards the surrounding akuma. Exploding out of existence the moment they had came into contact with the devilish machines, taking the monstrosities with them. But the use of such attack that she'd never attempted to do had sapped away some of her energy, causing her hold around the rapier handle to slacken as her shoulders slumped slightly. Who knew such an attack could take such a toll.

Wavering on the spot, she slowly dropped to her knees, one hand left around the guard to keep the blade up. Allen watched in silent admiration as he got to his feet, his father and Kanda taking care of the few stragglers that remained. Hesitant, he slowly made his way over to the gasping warrior, hoping that she was alright.

"Are you alright, Mizuki-san?" he asked as one of his hands went to her shoulders. She continued panting before shifting her gaze up to him, giving him a subtle nod and smile before her head went back to looking like it was dangling from her neck. From what he could tell, she was already exhausted and ready to call it quits. Thankfully there wouldn't be any more fighting. At least for now.

Kanda came rushing over, easily pushing Allen aside as he held Mizuki's shoulders, eyes full of panic while his face remained calm. He obviously was afraid of finding something wrong with the younger woman, seeing as how this was probably the most emotion he had displayed in front of others besides herself.

"I thought I told you to start out simple," he said flatly as he got back up onto his feet once he was sure she was nothing but winded. "You know the consequences of diving head first into power you haven't even completely synchronized with."

"I have to start somewhere don't I?" she breathed in between pants, a cocky smile coming onto her face. She had no fear. Which may cost her her life one of these days, something Kanda was unwilling to allow happen again. Not when their spirits had finally been reunited once more.

"Tch."

With no further comment he got to his feet, rolling his shoulders as he helped the younger woman to her feet. She shook slightly from the sudden pull but otherwise didn't any discomfort over the act as she pulled out her rapier from the ground. Lavi watched in mild interest as his hammer melted back into the choker around his neck, usually kept hidden behind some type of scarf, before he turned Allen, finally noticing his son's awakened status.

Instantly questions soon bombarded him as he took in his son's entire complexion. His black hair was the same as usual, still as shaggy as ever. It was about time he got a haircut. Pushing that distracting thought aside, Lavi took note of how he held himself, his stance one that was casual as he patted away the snow that clung to his pants. His eyes were back to the color they should've been, the same steely blue they always were with the exception of light hitting it just right. And in those instances it would appear silver, but it only happened on the rarest of occasions.

A sadness was present in his eyes though, something he hadn't really noticed until now. It was a sadness beyond his years that glittered in his light blue eyes, a sense of wariness oozing off the unending pools of steely blue. But with it was a hint of desperation, and longing that he wouldn't normally voice. Like a certain exorcist he had known, he would hide his problems behind a smile and pretend that nothing was wrong. But he was so well versed in this tactic that he could spot it a mile away. That's why he took note of it instantly.

He knew something, something that could very easily break apart all that he knew. But what was it?

"Allen…" At the sound of his own name being called, said person turned, their gaze catching that of the red head quickly.

"Yeah?"

"Arystar Krory the 3rd."

"Who—" began Allen, until he suddenly was backed against a tree, his father staring down at him with a certain wildness in his emerald green eye. The names soon became unrelenting as he continued uttering them out breathlessly.

"Daisuya Barry. Noise Marie. Zokalo Winters. Klaud Nine. Miranda Lotto. Reever Wenham. Johnny Gill. Howard Link. Timothy Hearst. Suman Dark. Tyki Mikk…" Growled Lavi, his confusion causing him to become angry, which made his actions unreasonable and certainly unjust. But all he was trying to do was get some kind of reaction out of the teen, something that would hint the growing possibility that he knew something.

The list went on it on, all the way to the point where there was only a few names left before **their** names came up. But even he wasn't that upset to even dare say their names. Though he knew, if he were to say them, they'd be the ones involving the most reaction. And that was something he couldn't bear.

"Lou Fa. Fou. Alma Karma. Froi Tiedoll. Yu Kanda. Bookman. Bak Chan. Lavi. Hevlaska. Ko—" Lavi was suddenly cut off by a punched to a fast, knocking him out of the stream of names. Falling to the floor, he landed hard on his side as he brought a gloved hand to his cheek, his hand slowly rubbing the spot where he had been punched. Kanda hovered him, loosely rubbing his now sore knuckle as he glared down at him in disgust.

"Cool it usagi." He muttered keenly before he began stomping off, Mizuki slowly following him as they went back to the steadily dying fire. But she followed not before studying Allen's reaction, noticing that he was staring at the Bookman rather hard at the moment.

Lavi slowly got to his feet, hand resting lightly over his steadily swelling cheek, his attention on Kanda for a moment before it switched over to his son. He watched as the young teen kept his head bowed, his body stiff as a board as he just stood there. It was then that he realized that he might've gone a little far. After all, his assumption was only based on the strange sadness that had been in his eyes. It didn't necessarily mean that he knew something. Though there was still a lingering doubt in that way of thinking.

"Do you have any idea who any of those people are?" he asked warily, his hand falling away from his face as he turned to Allen, a suffocating silence created between them.

"No…I don't have the faintest clue who any of them are. Why? Should I know who they are?" pressed a flat toned Allen, his head still bowed as his hands slowly curled into fists.

"No, not really. I just…thought maybe you would."

"Who are they then?" he questioned, a note of nostalgia in his voice despite the honesty that came from his tone.

"Ink on paper. People recorded within the depths of history. Nothing more." Answered Lavi monotonously, affectively hiding the tone of irritation that would've been in his voice if he weren't in Bookman mode. It was only because of that was he able to keep his face impassive. From keeping his self disgust from creeping onto his features. How he loathed this side of him.

"I see…just another piece of history then, huh dad."

"Yeah," he finished before turning away, leaving Allen to stand there alone as he took a quick perimeter sweep. "You can say they are…"

**DGMDGMDGM**

The Bookman sat at the foot of the fire as he nursed his cheek, in deep thought as the only person awake sat beside him, their hand subconsciously wrapped around the handle of a katana. He absentmindedly kicked one of the flaming logs out frustration, causing the fire to rise up momentarily before returning back to the level it originally was it. A sigh escaped his lips as he did so, his expression tired and sad as he stared at the roaring flames.

What had came over him back then? Why had be suddenly become so vicious all the sudden, over the possibility of him knowing something? Then the answer came, as clear as the blue sky. He was afraid. Ever since all this began he had been afraid. And it was steadily getting worse as time went on. But…it wasn't like he hadn't been prepared for something like this to suddenly unfold. He just wished that he could've had more time, like any parent would when times similar to this came up. Especially when suddenly found yourself buried within all the lies.

He was afraid of losing his son to the truth.

The truth would inevitably hurt, hurt the two of them. But the truth couldn't stay hidden forever, especially when they were heading towards a rather important place. One that could, and probably would, bring the truth out. All of this…all of these lies he had uttered to cover up the past, were taking its toll on him. In fact, not just the other day, he had found his very first grey hair. He was 34 years old and already he's found his first grey hair. If that wasn't stress, he didn't know what was. Stress…had all but escalated at this point.

Allen laid a little ways away, his back to the fire as he shifted around underneath the bundle of blankets a top of him. Despite all of his attempts, he still found himself wide awake, even though he knew that he ought to be sleeping. But he wasn't really tired. His thoughts kept playing back to the strange outburst his father had had a few hours ago, when he had ran down a list of seemingly endless names. And so that, was ultimately keeping him awake.

Why had he asked him about all those people? What was the significance in that? It only served to sadden him at the way he had just threw out their names, his among them. He made it seem like they were nothing, just pieces of history. But they were more than that. Significantly more.

flashback

"_Who are they daddy?"asked a young boy as he sat on the Bookman's lap, a book grasped within both of their hands. It was story time after all._

"_Those are the names of great people, Allen." He answered as he flipped through a few pages, the little boy's eyes scanning the surface in a vain attempt to read the extremely cursive hand writing. He was only four, he could barely get control over his own speech much less read. If it hadn't been for his father, he would have never guessed that all those scribbley lines had been names. _

"_Are they a part of the story tonight?" _

"_Yeah…their a part of the story…"_

End of flashback

After having remembered that, Allen clutched his blankets tighter as he fought to sleep. Though maybe now it wasn't because of the outburst that was depriving him of sleep. Maybe it was because he finally realized that what he had said earlier had been lie. He did know who they were. He knew them all.

_Author's Note: Alright, anything that isn't __**bolded**__ or in the first person and is italicized is a memory (this is the only exception people…). The guilt is starting to make Lavi crack, poor Lavi. I hope the little flashback helps lean it towards himself actually knowing who some of them are, and not being shown inside his own head. Because not everything he knows is shown to him, some of it comes from memories. And hopefully, pretty soon he'll realize how much he actually knows about the past. But by then it could be too late. _

_Oh, and before I go, make sure you keep your thoughts open during the beginning with the dream sequence. There is a reason why he was being led through China…_


	8. Puzzle Pieces

Ch. 8: Puzzle Pieces

A cloaked figure continued running through the winding alley ways of some Asiatic town, struggling for breath as panic rose in his chest. Huffing, he stumbled in his haste as he rounded another corner, hoping desperately that his slip up wouldn't hinder his chance of escape. But who could outrun an enemy that could be just as elusive as he was?

Splashes of water rose as the figure continued his break neck pace, unwilling to stop despite the burning pain he was feeling in his right calf. A pointed candle remained embedded in his leg, a steadily growing reminder of who he was dealing with. And the situation didn't seem to be in his favor.

"Apollo…light my way." The man whispered wispily under his breath as he clutched at the large longbow in his hand, the weapon beginning to glow a golden color as he continued running for his life. One way or another he had to warn Bookman Lee, that is, if he weren't already aware of the situation. And that meant he had to get out of there alive. He was up to the challenge.

Pulling away the hooded cloak in annoyance, revealing the form of a young man about 28 years old, a cross shaped scar smacked dab in the middle of his face. Reaching behind him, he unzipped the duffle quiver bag attached to his waist, hastily retrieving a few homemade arrows. It didn't matter what he shot out at the enemy, it wouldn't make much of a difference either way. Not when his enemy wasn't even human.

Gritting his teeth, he accidently bit his tongue as he jumped over low fence, causing him to stumble when he came down. Ignoring the pain and sudden taste of blood in his mouth, he continued onward, his heart racing. He had only been in battle twice, and nearly died in each one. Hopefully the third time wouldn't be the charm.

Paranoia rose with every shadow he saw, the ring of a laughter resounding in his head as he rounded another corner. The laughter had caused him to stumble again at first but otherwise continued his tiring pace. She was closing him, he knew it. With that in mind, he brought the bundle of arrows to his mouth and quickly bit down on them, pulling out one from the bushel. Bringing to the bow, he expertly pulled it back along the string, his teeth tightening around the arrow shafts clamped in between his teeth as he pushed himself up off the ground.

Fighting back a cry of pain the action had caused him, he spun around and released the arrow towards the ground before gravity had its chance at pulling him down. Flying through the air swiftly, a light grew around the arrow, giving it a somewhat more ethereal appearance as it pierced the ground. Once making contact with a surface, a burst of light flooded the area, causing his purser to reel back in irritation, a hand going to their face as they shielded their eyes from the light. But not before sending another dozen of pointed tip candles his way.

Three out of the nine found its mark, two of them embedding themselves into his chest while the third just went clean through his shoulder, muscle and all. Howls muffled behind arrow shafts rose into the air as the young man fell hard to the ground, his back arcing as his eyes bulged in fear. A sliver of blood managed to make its way through the cluster of arrows he had in between his teeth, the shot of crimson trickling down his chin as he struggled to his feet.

Scooting backwards when he couldn't properly get to his feet, he brought a trembling hand to his mouth as he pulled out three arrows. Arms shaking in unmistakable fear, the young man drew back the three arrows before releasing them out in front of him, all of them hitting their mark. But it didn't do a thing.

"I don't recall your face. You must have been a kid the last time I saw you." Said his purser, her voice laced with venom malice despite the fact that it hardly sounded convincing with her childish physique. "What's your name, exorcist?"

Instead of answering her, he instead drew the last arrows stuck in his mouth, getting ready to draw the string back when suddenly his hand was lopped off. Too stunned to comprehend what just happened, he stared down with distressed filled eyes at his own hand as it rested before him. It was still clutching the shafts of the arrows. Bile rose up his throat. Everything else was left unregistered.

The young girl gave him a sadistic smile to the frozen exorcist, pure enjoyment filling her at the sight of terror in his eyes. It was moments like these that she always treasured. It was what made her dreams that the more pleasurable. Grasping him by the throat, she lifted him up to her level as her features darkened, her eyes swimming with pools of sick gold.

"Who are you exorcist?" she asked again, this time more threat in her voice as she tightened the pressure she had around his neck. He looked at her in dazed shock, his face blank from the mortification. His now only hand tightened around the longbow, ready to trigger another attack. One that would probably be his last.

"My name…is Thomas Avery. My twin brother was killed by the likes of your kind." Seethed the young man, "But people call me Bookman Zack." There was no point hiding a truth that was insignificant.

"So you're the next successor. My name is Road Kamelot, do you want to play with me Thomas?" she asked with mock innocence, a sadistic blaze flaring in her gold eyes. Thomas's eyes narrowed as his supply of oxygen was slowly coming to an end, his hand slowly tightening around the grip of his longbow. It was now or never.

"…yes…"

With this weak declaration, he finally applied all the pressure he could into the longbow's grip, causing all the arrows to come shooting back towards the two of them. All shots he had fired came darting back, every last one of them sinking into the two of them as they soon became human porcupines. Resolve was heavy in his pained filled eyes as all the arrows piercing them began resonating a gold hue, their power charging up.

'_Forgive me, my brothers. I wasn't as strong as either of you.'_ The Bookman apprentice closed his eyes shut as tears came to his eyes, the skin of his body already beginning to burn away. Then suddenly, all the golden shards detonated, creating a mighty explosion of sound and light. Who's to say anyone survived that. You had to be immortal to survive the veracity of such an attack.

As the smoke cleared, the burnt skin of the young girl regenerated with ease, covering up all the damage she had sustained. Bending down, she picked up the shaft of a distorted arrow and proceeded to twirl it around her fingers, her eyes barring into the steaming body that laid with its back to her.

"Silly exorcists, always so easy to break," she trailed off as she skipped over to the longbow. Glaring down at it, an antagonistic smirk began spreading across her face as she lifted a foot over the weapon. "You all will never be as fun as Allen…" Having said this, she planted her foot firmly against the weapon, cracks issuing along material as the pressure increased until it eventually snapped. And so the sound of bells filled the air.

**DGMDGMDGM**

The sound of something breaking, followed by the chime of bells filled Allen's ears as he suddenly perked up, stopping him in his tracks. Eyebrows knitting forward in confusion, he looked past everyone from where he remained in the back of the group, a dull and barely conceivable pain rising up in his chest. It was only momentarily though, lasting for as long as he heard the sound of bells before easing away. Then it just faded away, replaced by a sadness that quickly overwhelmed him.

He almost thought he heard a distant cry of sorrow, just behind the bell chimes…

"Allen, what's wrong?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, he turned to see Mizuki looking to him with concern. She was the only one out of the three that had noticed his pause, pausing in turn to see if something was wrong. But with Allen, it was hard to tell. Because it seemed like everything was wrong with this boy.

"I just…got a little winded is all."

"You sure? Don't tell me you have something in your eye too."

He looked to her perplexity, his eyebrows knitting forward until he brought a hand to his cheek. To his surprise, tears were sliding soundlessly down his cheeks. Strange…first it had been the sound bell chimes. Then it was the dull and distant pain. And now he was inexplicitly shedding tears. That wasn't weird at all. He attempt to make an excuse for this; who could make an excuse over something that just happened? But neither did she question it, leaving it up in the air as they went back to trekking through the thinning snow. Thankfully they were only a few hours away from Otaru, the nearest city along the coast.

Thank God for that.

Allen wasn't sure how much more walking he could take. Sure, he knew this wouldn't be the last of walking, but a nice break from it wouldn't hurt. He wasn't all that clear on where he was going, seeing as how he had never gotten around to asking where they were going. Maybe he should do that.

"Say Mizuki-san, do you happen to know where we're going?"

"Um…from what I know, we're heading to some place in China."

China. That was the place the young woman had been trying to take him before he ended the little field trip. Was there something of significance in China? There had to been if both the dream world and real world were all taking him there. But what was it? The face of a man, be speckled with glasses, popped into his head, appearing in his mind's eye for a moment before disappearing soon after. Strange.

Was this person suppose to mean something?

Shrugging it off, he smiled at the sight of the coast nearing view, excitement filling him as he dashed past the party. Stumbling slightly from his sudden burst of speed, Allen continued smiling as he ran ahead, joy on his features of going to a place he had always enjoyed going. But that changed upon making it down to the edge of the coastal town, a crowd of gasping people situated around one of the ships.

Curious, Allen squirmed past people, eager to see what all the ruckus was about. Giving them his 'excuse me' and 'I'm sorry', Allen finally made it through the crowd, giving an exasperated sigh as he caught his breath. Wiping his forehead in relief, he looked up at the ship that everyone was staring at, his blood running cold.

Eyes widening as a pained expression came across his face, he stumbled back as he felt the sting of tears on his eyes. A pained filled gasp escaped his lips as a hand went up to his mouth, the tears sliding down his cheeks as he broke down. Suspended upside down on the ship's mast was his uncle, his blank gaze seemingly focused on his alone. His arms were cross and bounded at his chest, his only hand resting over his un-beating heart. His skin was covered in burns, most of his hair charred away.

The only way Allen was positive that it was his uncle up there was the white scar in the shape of a cross on his face. The only thing left untarnished.

The others finally made it to where he sat hugging himself, unable to stop crying. When seeing the man that had served for nearly 15 years as his apprentice, Lavi froze, his face paling as his body went stark stiff. All emotion washed away from his face as clenched a fist, his head bowing. Meanwhile, Mizuki was at Allen's side, giving him a few words of comfort as he continued shedding his tears of sorrow. Kanda stood beside Lavi, his eyes narrowed as he looked up at the man he hadn't seen since he was a boy.

"This seem familiar to you Usagi?" asked Kanda blatantly, ignoring the murmurs of the people around them as local police force went up to remove the body. Lavi didn't respond to the question, his gaze fixated on the ground. "I don't see his innocence."

"Don't kid with me Kanda, of course he wouldn't have his innocence with him. They never did when…when…"

"We need to keep moving if we don't want to be next." Concluded Kanda gruffly as he went off to get them a ship, his voice now heavy with a Japanese accent as he switched to his native dialect.

Lavi watched him go before turning to the fallen former exorcist and Bookman apprentice. He watched as the younger man was finally untied from the central mast and carried away, to where, he was unsure. Hopefully to a place that would give him a proper burial despite the fact that there would probably no one to identify the body. Anyone besides him and Allen but sadly, they didn't have time to dwell or grieve on the matter. They had to keep moving, whether he liked it or not.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a small book from within his pack, swiftly shifting through the written pages as he withdrew a pen. Scanning through the dozen of names written within the pages, some names crossed through with a single line while others were left untouched, he finally came across the name he had been searching for.

Thomas Avery.

With a trembling hand, he brought a dash across his name, ending his record within the little pocket book filled with names. Once done though, instead of putting the tiny book back in his back, Lavi flipped to the very last page that had been written in and began adding another name. Mizuki's name to be exact. Hand shaking even more as he finished writing down her name, he let out a heavy sigh as he slowly closed the book with one hand, putting it and the pen away soon after.

"Allen, we have to go son."

"I don't want to go anymore." He said solemnly, his voice breaking after a while as the tears continued issuing from his eyes.

"We have to go—"

"I want to stay here with uncle."

"Your uncle is dead!" hollered Lavi in mixed frustration and sorrow as he grabbed a hold of Allen's upper arm and pulled him harshly to his feet. Though he put up resistance, unwilling to be uprooted from the spot he had claimed as his own. Denial was heavy in the air.

"No! I'm going to stay here!" he cried, breaking out into sobs as he was lifted up on one of Lavi's shoulders when cooperation didn't seem like it was going to work. Allen began pounding on the red head's back, desperate to stay behind with the piece of his world that had just been taken away.

The anguish in his cries were breaking Lavi's heart, this sort of reaction something he had hoped would not happen. If he was going to become an exorcist like they all believed he would, then he was going to have to get use to seeing his comrades' fall at the hand of battle. It would only hurt him more if he upheld the belief system his mother had had when they were young and foolish. Allen would eventually just lose it if he thought of the world as a puzzle, and each piece was of an individual person.

If this is how reacted to death, Lavi shuttered to think how he would react to the truth.

But deep down, he knew that his reaction to the truth would be a lot worse than this. And this was already bad enough. He couldn't the truth hidden away forever. Eventually he would learn.

For the truth was waiting for them in China.


	9. This is War

Ch. 9: This is War

Allen hadn't moved from the stairwell from which he sat, his face dull as he ignored the pompous rocking of the ship in which they sailed in. His arms hung from his sides like dead weight, his whole body relaxed from grief. Eyes were heavy with tears waiting to be shed as he stared out at the dazzling grey waters of the ocean in bleakness. He hadn't said a word ever since he was forced onto the ship.

His silence was causing the Bookman to look upon him with worry, guilt racking his senses as he watched the teenage boy just sit there in dejection. The blow had hit him hard, the loss detrimental to the boy's world. Hence why he probably wasn't speaking, which worried Lavi. If he wasn't speaking because of this, then who's to say he wouldn't speak ever again after learning the truth.

Something Lavi couldn't possibly bear.

Utter silence was what frightened him the most.

"Allen…" he tried, hoping to get some reaction out of the boy. He didn't so much as flinch.

This situation felt nostalgically familiar to Lavi, the scene not entirely too different either. If he remembered correctly, a certain Chinese exorcist had been in this same position as he was. He couldn't stop himself from thinking of Allen's own mother sitting there, in the exact position, as she too stared out at the sea in ruin. She had stared out at the lonely sea as if her entire world had suddenly collapsed. And that had angered the Bookman apprentice. Much like it was angering him now.

Teeth clenching and fists tightening, Lavi stood there as his body shook with unbridled rage. He did not want to go through this whole scene again, unless he had no other choice. And all signs seemed to be pointing in that direction. He needed to understand that this was war. There was no changing that.

The sudden sound of glass shattering filled the teenage boy's ears as he sat there, unflinching upon hearing the shrill sound. This only served to frustrate the Bookman even more as his eyebrows knitted forward, teeth gnashing.

"That's enough Allen, it's time to get over this. What happened to your uncle couldn't be helped. He understood the risks, he was prepared for something like this. It was just unfortunate that we weren't able to save him but…" he growled until he couldn't control his anger anymore, and soon he began yelling, tears coming to eyes at this point. "These things happen in war! Whether you like it or not, this is war. And we are its soldiers. So just accept it and move on!"

At this Allen gave the slightest inclination that he heard, a fresh stream of tears finally free from his eyes and now streaming down his face. The look of devastation that had been rekindled in his eyes forced Lavi to look away, ashamed of his outburst. Just as much as he had when he had done the same thing several years ago to Lenalee Lee.

**DGMDGMDGM**

Lavi let out a sigh as he watched the waves lap against the side of the ship they currently inhabited. He was leaning heavy against the side railing, his only visible eye filled with remorse. He wished that things had been different, that none of this had ever happen. It was only stressing him out to no end, stressing the two of them I should say. And it would eventually put a strain on their relationship.

That is, if the truth hadn't done that already.

"You're awfully quiet Usagi." The voice caused the Bookman to look up, his expression showing his lack of interest. He didn't have time for Kanda.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, it's just not like you."

"You know what's unlike someone?" asked Lavi, his blank face hiding his rising annoyance. Kanda just looked at him crossly, showing no inclination of actually answering the question. "You actually giving a damn about me being quiet!" growled the Bookman as he stomped off, preferring to be alone rather than with Kanda.

The samurai gave a distinct grimace, his head whipping to the other side as he glared out at the sea. His words had stung him, leaving a foul taste in his mouth. In righteousness, the rabbit was right. He wouldn't have normally inquired about the well being of others, much less anything. But in those past years leaving in the village, and near Mizuki, his cold heart had started to melt.

If ever so slightly.

**DGMDGMDGM**

While he was stomping around on the ship's deck, Lavi suddenly had this sinking feeling run up his body, his senses electrifying as his body tensed. Looking around, his hair began sticking on end as a pack of akuma could be seen closing in from the distance. A snarl came upon his face as he summoned his blood hammer, the weapon flowing into his hand at the simple thought of battle. But something didn't feel right.

The choker around his neck felt slightly tighter.

Shrugging it off, he ran forward, back to where he had left Kanda so that he could worn him. But then he stopped, realization coming over him as he did so. There was still Allen, uninformed and oblivious, just sitting there in the cabin. Still feeling sorry for himself. That was going to be a problem.

"Kanda!" he hollered as he took stance in front of the cabin door, his form strong as he waited for a reply. "I can see them."

"Where's Mizuki?"

"I'm right here." The red head turned to see her standing beside him, her rapier out as she gave the air a few slashes, the blade glowing because of it. "Go, I'll make sure nothing gets pass here."

Though he liked the help, Mizuki was still an inexperienced innocence accommodator, much less ready to be even christened an exorcist. She hardly had a high enough synch rate to be able to take down any of the level twos that were heading this way. "I'll stay here. You'd be better off helping Kanda."

"I see, you don't think I can handle myself when I'm on my own." She replied heatedly as she pointed her thin and still rather fragile weapon at the Bookman, the blade's tip tickling his chin ever so slightly. "No…it's not that. It's just that…he seems to bring out the more tactical side of you, if you get what I'm saying."

"No, but I'll go along with it." She relented as she whipped the sword away from underneath Lavi's chin, the Bookman releasing the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Woman could be so impossible sometimes.

"Quit your yapping and come help me!" hollered Kanda as the sound of cracking wood filled their ears. It seemed as though the akuma had arrived.

**DGMDGMDGM**

The sounds of battle reached Allen's ears as he sat there on the cabin stairwell, slightly making a move until he relaxed. They didn't need his help, no one needed his help. So he wasn't rushing off anywhere anymore. He wasn't going to go anywhere for that matter. He didn't trust himself to leave the sanctuary of the cabin hold. He was too afraid to go venture out to help his friends and family.

All because a piece of his world had shattered and faded away into oblivion.

'**Giving up already? What kind of exorcist are you?'**

"_I'm not an exorcist. I'm…I'm just a boy."_

'**You must learn that there is a right and a wrong time to grieve. This is not one of those times. Now is the time to fight.'**

"_Leave me alone…"_

'**Quit wallowing in your own self pity and fight! Fight for the present, fight for the future. Fight for all you hold dear.'**

"_I don't think I can. I'm afraid."_

'_It's alright to be afraid sometimes. But sometimes you have to push past that fear in order to move forward. And you cannot stop moving forward.'_

Allen sighed inwardly as he continued staring out at nothing in particular, his sad silver eyes making him appear lost and dejected. If only he was as strong as they were making him out to be. But he was no warrior, no so called 'exorcist'. He was just Allen, a boy thrust down a path of confusion and turmoil. Why couldn't his life be normal like everyone else's was.

'**Because you are the Destroyer of Time.'** The voices of the young woman and young man replied in unison, a strange tingling sensation running up Allen's arms and legs as he was suddenly forced to his feet.

The little bit of shock filled his features as his arms and legs began moving on their own. He had the slightest inclination that someone was actually pulling at his hands, pulling him forward as he was stiffly forced up the stairs and to the door. His body broke out into a cold sweat as his hand awkwardly grabbed the handle, the joints bending in ways that didn't seem natural as he was forced to turn the knob.

He felt a pair of encouraging presences with him, their entities unnoticeable and un-seeable as they gave him strength and pushed back his fear. But he knew they were there, something was there, giving him the power he needed to move forward. He had to move forward. This was his path. And he must follow it.

Opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of his father slammed into the side railing of the ship, his face contorted in pain as he fell forward. Smoke could be seen issuing from his body as he laid there gasping, the choker around his neck strangling him. It had been years since he had used his innocence, especially in battle. He had pushed himself to his limits. Akuma loomed over him as they prepared to finish him off, unaware of Allen's presence.

Fear and anger welled up inside the boy's heart, his eyes taking on a feral glare as his hair began brisling up in the back, his teeth gnashing together as he formed a snarl. Unaware of what was happening, his innocence suddenly activated, fuelled by his boiling hot rage. But instead of taking on the form it originally depicted, it took a different approach. Hands now covered in slick black leather gloves, his fingers morphing to talons as boots ran up his legs, this pair much more slicker and robust compared their bulky pair he had previously.

The tattoos at his body darkened to that of a black, the designs shifting around wrap around the exposed skin of his neck and arms. This mad his skin appear black, his face being a sharp contrast to his black arms and legs. His senses became hyper aware of the three innocence powered weapons in the area, a graving for their touch filling him as he stood there like a lethal panther. His head was screaming out for the innocence to in hand, the compulsion becoming to unbearable as he dove for the closes one he could get: his father's hammer.

Grasping it into his hands, he felt this sudden electric sense as his eyes widened in surprise. An accumulation of tattoo marks slithered to his right eye, the black pattern circling around it to form an odd imitation of an eye-patch, a diagonal band running across his face. A shock of red hair streaked across the middle of his hair, most of it flaring up in cocky bravado. His left eye pooled with emerald green, the right a bottomless pit of nothingness as it matched the dark ring around his eye.

A cocky smile came upon his face as he brandished the hammer like an expert, the weapon taking on a more gothic theme as he spun it around like a windmill. "Excellent!" raved Allen as he shot out at the akuma, flames liking the head of the hammer. "Gouka Kaijin…" he uttered as he stood in front of Lavi's currently incapacitated form.

"Hi Ban!" A fiery serpent flowed up from the stamp that had form underneath the akuma. Enveloping the machines of hell in flames, Allen leaned back on the hammer in triumph, a goofy smile coming upon his face as he watched the akuma fall to pieces.

Then he looked down at the unmoving form of the Bookman in confusion, his eyebrows knitting forward as looked back to the hammer in his hands. If he was standing here at the moment, then why was his body…

"Oh my God!" cried Allen as he leaned over the side railing, looking down at the murky water to see that he wasn't exactly as he thought he was. "What the hell is going on?" He cried as he began tugging at his hair, a hand slipping down to his right eye as he touched it gingerly. Backing away from the railing, he fell back, the hammer sitting in his lap as he looked to his original body in confusion, fear in his eyes at the way his precious body was laying there incapacitated.

Squirming around antsy, he placed the hammer back into his original body's hand, closing the hand around the handle as he backed away. Instantly an electric sensation filled him, the ego that was Lavi's leaving Allen as it returned to his original body. Once it did so, Allen's body suddenly fell like a pile of bricks, the sensation leaving him catatonic as he went limp on the deck in shacks and cold sweat.

Lavi slowly blinked opened his eyes, his vision readjusting as he got to his feet. Hand going to the side of his head, he turned suddenly when he realized he was back to normal again. But then his gaze fell to Allen, his body slightly shaking as he laid there on his side, his eyes vacant. Forgetting all about what had happened, he rushed over, grasping the teenage boy into his arms as he pulled him into his lap. He was in a shaking fit, his head threatening to explode any moment as he fought to recover. The Bookman looked down in fear, silently recording what was happening within his head as he watched. Something like this has never happened. And the only thing coming remotely close was Timothy's ability to possess akuma.

But this was different.

Allen had taken control over his own innocence, ultimately subjected himself to the imprint Lavi had left within the weapon.

Meaning that his ego and mind had somehow managed to travel over to the teenage boy.

Suddenly Allen stopped shaking, his body once again relaxing as his eyes fell shut. A breath escaped his lips as he sagged in the Bookman's arms, cold sweat trailing down his face as he sudden gasped for breath. Jolting forward, he began hyperventilating as he got to his feet, a hand going to his head as he wobbled over to the side railing. Lavi watched silently until he grimaced at the sound of Allen vomiting over the railing and into the water, he sound discussing.

"Allen…" whispered Lavi cautiously as he got to his feet, taking a few steps forward over to where the boy remained hunched over. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked over at his father warily until a waned smile came upon his face. "I'm alright. Just…a little dizzy."

"Yeah, me too."

Allen smiled as he pushed off the railing, wobbling slightly until he managed to regain his footing. Breathing heavily, he wiped away the sweat that still clung to his face as he turned back to Lavi. "You said this was war," commented the boy, Lavi giving a slight inclination of his head. "Then I guess I don't have any choice. Whether I like it or not, this is the path I must take. I am the Destroyer of Time, right?"

Lavi stiffened at the comment, the hammer in his hand falling forgotten to the floor as Allen ran off to help Kanda and Mizuki, his body changing to that of the original form he had had before. A pained gasp escaped his lips as panic flooded into his eyes. There was definitely no denying it now. He knew something, anything, about the truth.

The question now was what. And how much.

_Author's Note: Sorry that this is shorter than usual but I felt that I needed to cut this chapter off at this point. Thing's will be explained, don't worry. That was just another bit of Allen's power, more of a preview. He does have the Heart after all. And the Heart controls essentially all innocence._

_Anyways, in case you haven't already done so, I would implore that you check out my new fic 'Ballad of the Musician'. Your opinion over the story would be greatly appreciated._

_Please Review_


	10. Dreading the Dream

Ch. 10: Dreading the Dream

The journey by boat took them all nearly a week and a half, due to the dilapidated condition the previous attack had left their boat in. The crew wasn't too happy but begrudgingly accepted it. They were just going to have stop for repairs as soon as they docked into a port in China. And the while the Bookman was left restless, mind boggling dreams plaguing him every night. At first, it started out like a quiet whisper, discreet but otherwise unnoticeable. But the closer they drew to China, the more disorientating the dreams would become. And the more he began to dread falling asleep.

So instead of succumbing to the much needed sleep he had forced himself to deprive the past two days, reminding him oddly of dear old friend coincidentally, he began rummaging through his son's things while he slept. He knew it was very wrong and distrustful of him, but he had to keep his mind busy and he was curious to discover what the kid knew. If he remembered correctly, Allen had a journal hidden somewhere among his things, filled with descriptions and thoughts over the past several weeks events.

A hard knot of guilt formed within the pit of his stomach, his face becoming clammy as he softly dug through the boy's knapsack. He made awfully sure that he didn't so much as make a sound, the youth only a few feet away from him in his own little world. Oddly enough, instead of the typical parasite type, which he was assuming he was, he didn't replenish his energy with food. He did it with sleep. And the boy, ever since the sudden akuma attack, was in and out of sleep. The new ability he displayed in controlling his own innocence while also ensnaring both his conscious and ego must've put an unwanted strain on both his mind and his body.

So, at the moment, he was out like a light.

He almost gave in and began pushing all the useless and trivial items he had collected throughout their journey around the world when he found it. Holding his breath, he brought a shaky hand down into the bag and pulled out a leather bound notebook, Allen's journal. Using a surprising amount of stealth, he quietly made his way back out of the cabin and up toward the deck, where he could read whatever so happened to be in the contents in peace. Not that he really had anything to worry about besides the possibility of Allen waking up to find it gone. But Lavi wasn't going to let the happened.

Sighing softly, he took a seat on a sturdy barrel, his back pressed against the wood work as he nervously glanced down at the notebook. Trepidation filled him as he stared down at it, hesitant on the fact that what he was about to do was invading his son's privacy. So what if he was desperate to know what he knew, maybe it would just be better if he was left in ignorance, like he never he knew any of this was happening.

But it was far too late to be thinking of that now.

Taking in a deep breath, he forced himself to open the book, locking his gaze down on the slightly wrinkled paper. The first entry yield little information he didn't already know. He had remembered Allen asking about the two of them 5 years ago, not knowing their names of course, but he still knew who he meant, which gave birth to his ever present fear. He was sort surprised that he actually remembered. But unsettled that he did.

Scanning the next several entries, he only picked out the parts that sounded to be of some significance, choosing to read and reread the portions describing his dreams. What he read startled him, dread and fear rising with every word he read. The experiences, the words, the people, they were all there in black ink. There were moments were half remembered dialogue was scrawled upon an entry, but mostly it was filled with description.

But he'd have to say what unsettled him the most was the amount of detail he put into the describing his emotions. Most of time, it said he was confused and yearning for answers that he felt he would never get. So oblivious to the fact that his own so called 'father' could provide some of the answers he needed. He was kind of surprised he hadn't asked why they were coming here in the first place. That was before he read the very last entry, this one shaking him to the core.

_Entry 12:_

_ So much has happened since I last logged an entry. For instance, I had both another dream, another discussion with the voices inside my head. No shocker there I guess. And I also had something…strange happen. It didn't have anything to do with my innocence. At least I don't think; but before I begin describing that, I'll start with the dream and the discussion._

_ This dream…for lack of a better term, was different. Instead of being greeted with total darkness, I was in the middle of some field, the sky dark and filled with stars. At first, I thought I was alone. But then I was greeted by the young woman, appearing suddenly out of nowhere. It didn't really surprise me by now. _

_ She told me that I could do whatever I wanted in this place, this so called 'dream world'. But somehow, I couldn't help getting this feeling that I couldn't do anything at all, especially when she grabbed a hold of my hand and began pulling me along, the background melting away like washed off paint. The scene soon changed to some random forest I knew to be in China, the young woman leading me somewhere. _

_Or to someone._

_ I didn't really object until she said that only spiked my wariness. At which point, I pulled away, beginning to feel distrust for this person. Her words frightened me, leading me to the assumption that I didn't have as much control as I thought I had. But one look in her beautiful sad eyes convinced me to believe her. I couldn't turn away from her after that. She just seemed so sad. She always seemed sad whenever I saw her in person now that I think about it. And to make matters worse, the white haired man stepped in and brought an end to our little cryptic conversation. He said they had to go and yet, I didn't want them to leave._

_ It felt too painful to watch them go, neither one of them willing to look back as I cried for them to stop. I wanted to be with them, like I always do. But at the moment the desire was soon becoming unbearable. My body ached with pain, the intensity only maximizing the farther away they distance themselves from me. It was so unbearable that I was beginning to think that I was going to die. I actually wished to die, seeing as how I couldn't bear to be away from them again. _

_I guess it didn't help matters much while I was still stuck as a 5 year old._

_ I cried, my sobs shaking my body. I howled out for them to wait, for them to take me with them. But they did nothing. They just get on going as if they couldn't hear me. I'm sure they did, the anguish was already heavy enough in my cries, let alone my howls. They just chose to ignore it. _

_ At some point, I began clawing at my own face, disgusted with myself as I cried my eyes out. I wished to die, wanted nothing more to die. And towards the end, I thought I had. The dream world I was huddled in shattered into disproportionate shards, like glass, ending the dream soon after. Everything melted away into darkness. Before I chance to return back to reality, these words created me upon my departure_

_Please forgive us._

_Those words continue to haunt me even as I write._

_ I don't know if going to China both in my dream and in reality has much significance, but I can't deny the fact that something important is going to happen. A picture of man flashed in my eyes, appearing one moment and then gone the next. I knew I knew who he was. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it's nothing. Or maybe it's something._

_ Anyways, back to the conversation portion. Upon learning the death of my uncle, I was gravely stricken with grief. Nothing anyone could do about could snap me out of it. That is, until I got a few words of advice. Just because I sad didn't mean I could allow it to consume me. Like the young man said, there was a time and place to grieve. And at the moment, it wasn't the right time to. He called me exorcists, something I had never really took time to think about. Dad was exorcist, and so was Kanda, and they both had weapon forged of innocence, and since I had innocence, I guess that made me an exorcists as well._

_Whatever that is exactly…_

_ I also had to quit hanging onto the past and move forward. And fight for the future. Something very dark and dangerous is about to happen, I can feel it. And somehow, I have a feeling that it all starts once we get to China. _

_ They also called me a Destroyer of…Time? I don't know what that means nor will I pretend that I do. It's a title I'm not all too familiar with and when I sort of hinted it to my dad, it left him surprised. Obvious it has some importance and significance. I'll probably press him about it on a later date. _

_ All in all, the conversation, though uplifting to my despairing spirit, also opened more doors to unsolved riddles, new questions with no answers. It's all very frustrating. I'm like some ancient riddle that's too complex for anyone to solve. But hopefully I'll learn something in China. In fact, I'm also certain I will. There's something waiting for there, calling out to me. And I must heed that call._

_ Ugh…I'll try wrapping this up due to the fact that I'm using up valuable paper and because I'm getting tired. When I stepped into battle, it didn't really feel like it was myself stepping out there. It felt more like I was pulled, as if people were pulling me forward. And it felt like there were multiple presences with me then, lending me their strengths as I stepped out into battle, giving me comfort despite my dread. And the crowd of presences had another member joined as soon as I had touched my dad's innocence._

_ Immediately, it felt like he and I were one, his knowledge pressing and pushing away my own. I don't really remember what was going on, it really felt like my body was just moving on its own. But when we separated though, it didn't feel like his presence left me. More like, his spirit went over to join the crowd before easing away. Since then, I haven't been able to feel any other presence besides the usual norm. Now I know why I hate questions so much… Though one seems to always surface in the end._

_What's happening to me?_

The Bookman abruptly closed the thin notebook after that, his face deathly pale. His words, they didn't make much sense at the end. What did he mean it felt like he hadn't left him? That his spirit somehow joined this mysterious and un-seeable crowd of followers that he has yet to notice sense then? This was all very chaotic and confusing, even for a guy like him.

This little insight sort of helped. It gave him a footing on what he knew and from the looks of it, it wasn't a whole lot. There was still hope that what he knew was by mere chance and not by deduction. Still, the truth was going to come out in the matter of days, weeks depending on how far they had to travel. But by the look of things, he wouldn't be for long. To travel to their destination from their desired port would take them no more than a day, give or take a few hours.

Then there was no escape.

Wiping away the clammy sweat from his face, he leaned back once more, placing the journal on his lap as he gazed up at the clear blue sky. It was truly beautiful, a work of art in itself. If only it could always stay like that. But like all things, everything must come to an end.

Sighing, he fought to stay awake, his eyelids weighing heavy with sleep. He couldn't sleep, he didn't want to sleep. But he had no other choice. As he gave a tentative blink, he found his environment suddenly changed, sleep having won. A grimace came upon his face as he sat up, pushing the journal away as he jumped off the barrel. Here, day had become night and nothing was friendly about this place.

It was soundless, not even the wind blowing. All was silent. He was still on the ship but that had come to a stop at some point in this world. Or it had never moved in the first place. He couldn't tell. The wooden floor boards creaked heavily with each step he made, the only sound in this barren world. And it was slightly unnerving.

Making his way hesitantly to the edge where the railing ran, he kept his gaze sternly focused on the dead sky, unwilling at the moment to look at anything else. His heart was beginning to beat faster and faster the closer he came to the edge, forcing himself not to look down but up as he hoisted himself up on the railing, grabbing onto some of the rope for support. Closing his green eye, he gave a shaky breath as he finally looked down.

Spreading out all around him was a sea of crimson blood, going as far as the eye could see.

"Not again…" he moaned as he glared at the waves, wishing for them to go away but knowing they wouldn't. This was his own hell in a nightmare after all.

_Author's Note: Sorry this is short, I didn't want to dive too much into the dream, I wanted that to be for the next chapter. This, surprisingly, didn't take long to write (despite the fact that it's not even that long) Only a few hours of calculated thinking and planning as I went along. This is just sort of a filler or bridge I guess to something I wanted to write in. I hope this was alright and I promise that the next chapter will be better. _


	11. Here We Are

Ch. 11: Here We Are

Lavi was awoken by the sudden jarring of the boat, relieved to be pulled away from his god awful dream world. He didn't need to experience the ruthless dirge again. Voice slightly slurred, he blinked open a blurry eye to see Mizuki staring at him, her blue eyes looking to him curiously. "Nice to see you've finally managed to get some sleep. But, you might want to put back that reading material before its missing presence goes noticed."

He looked to her confused until he remembered what he had read before having unintentionally fallen asleep. Looking down, he immediately swiped the journal away, closing it easily before hoping off the barrel he had been sitting on. Giving her an appreciative nod, he went to return the journal when Mizuki added one last thing before walking away.

"We've made it to China. You better go wake up Allen after you put back that notebook of his. Kanda and I will be waiting on the docks."

He gave a grunt of understanding as he walked away, down to the cabin below. Making it down there in a matter of minutes, Lavi quietly opened the door to Allen's room and gently placed the book back inside the youth's pack. Once sure that it wouldn't seem like anyone had been scrounging around in the simple bag, his attention went over to the still sleeping Allen, his face twitch occasional from some unknown dream.

He hoped it wasn't something similar to what he had described in the notebook.

Walking over, he crouched down beside him and took a moment to just look at him. Every day he looked more and more like his father, but seemed to act more in favor of his mother. But he didn't know that, nor did he until he figured it out himself. It pained him so much now that they had made it somewhat successfully to China, knowing full and well who it was that they were intending to encounter. And there was no way around it either.

Some days, he liked to pretend that Allen was indeed his own son. But that just made it more painful for him to let go. He knew he would have to eventually. And it still hurt.

Coughing as he shrugged the impeding thoughts aside, he ignored the sting of tears as he went to shake the youth awake, shaking him roughly while calling out his name. "Allen…we're here. It's time to wake up." It took some patience and repetitive coaxing to finally wake the boy, his mind heavily groggy once he finally managed to blink open silver eyes.

"What?" he mumbled, his words slurred with sleep. Rubbing his eyes of lingering sleep, he gave a big yawned as he stretched out to his fullest. Smacking his lips, he suddenly looked bright eye and bushy tailed as he got to his feet, not really pausing for an answer.

"We're here. In China." Reminded the red haired man as he pushed himself up to his feet.

Allen's mouth made an o as he gave a nod of acknowledgement. Smiling, he retrieved his bag before turning back to his father. "Alright, I'm ready."

**DGMDGMDGM**

The group found themselves in the midst of a village of some sorts, Kanda and Lavi leading the way while Mizuki and Allen trailed along. Out of them all, she seemed to be the most fascinated, her head turning every so often to watch the people go by. Though it was hardly much of a change in something she was use to, but the culture was still drastically different, fascinating her to no end. After all, she had never been outside of Japan before and she could hardly understand a word they were saying.

It fascinated her greatly.

Meanwhile, Allen was too busy looking around to pay much attention to where the other adults were going. Instead, he chose to focus on the sights, and how they brought this strange tingling feeling in him. Sort of like a sense of nostalgia, but not in the strictest sense. He felt some sort of connection, but it wasn't so strong that it was easily perceivable. It just…was a weird feeling he got from his place. Like, it was telling him something important was going to happen. And soon by the feel of it.

Shrugging such troubling thoughts aside, Allen blew his bangs out of his face in frustration, the black bangs falling back onto his face. He really needed a haircut. But for now, he was going to have to settle with tying his hair back, though that didn't seem very appealing. Beggars can't be choosers though and in the end, he settled with tying it back with a beaded bracelet he had around his wrist.

Gazing out at the surrounding market area, he simply watched all the people going about their own business when suddenly, his eyes locked onto a woman within the crowd. At first, he didn't take much mind to it, just another random civilian going about their day. That is, until she got this look in her eyes, her face mirroring his puzzlement. It was like she knew him, recognition flashing in her wide eyes as she followed his restrained pace.

The way she continued to gaze at him, as if she knew him, surprised Allen. A sense of recognition filled him, a part of him feeling as though he had met her before, in some strange reality where they had both been the same age. But the recognition was fleeting, disappearing as soon as it came before he was back to wondering why he was being stared at by a random civilian so intently.

He tried ignoring, his focusing going back to his friends as he continued to walk. But where he went, she followed, struggling to keep up with him. The more he tried to get away, the more she persisted to follow. And she was slowly gaining on him, unwilling to quit. But he couldn't continue when the woman finally spoke, bringing him to a dead halt with her words.

"Allen, is that you?" she called, her words causing him to stop suddenly, his chest tightening at the sound. He cocked his head over his shoulder, his silver eyes watching her be-speckled form come nearer.

She stopped just a foot away, standing at about his height. Her dark eyes looked to his, searching deep for something he couldn't quite tell. "I'm sorry ma'am, my name is in fact Allen, but you must be mistaking me for someone else." He replied politely, feeling terrible at the flicker of hurt that had crossed her eyes. But it was only brief, the hurt replacing with amazement as her eyes widened a fraction larger than they already were.

"Oh! Then you must be…" she trailed off as unbridled tears came to her dark eyes, quickly verging his personal space by hugging him tight. "You've grown so much, and you look so much like your father!" she cried, Allen stiffening at her comment. She must be losing her mind because he looked nothing like his father. The man had red hair for crying out loud!

He looked _nothing_ like his Bookman of a father.

"Uh…" he stuttered, not sure how he should break this to her.

"Lou Fa." Came a low, threatening voice. Pulling away from the deathly confused boy, the woman with her hair up in pigtails perked up even further at the sight of two familiar faces.

"Bookman-san! Kanda-san!" She was beyond ecstatic to see them both. Even Kanda. She hadn't seen either of their faces for nearly 15 years. They were surely a sight for sore eyes. But still, there was also another she hadn't seen within that time frame, his whereabouts still a mystery to her. "What are you all doing here, of all places?" she asked, hoping to get an answer.

"We're here to see _him_. We've got some alarming information that we need to tell _him_ right away. Could you possibly lead us there to the Asian Branch?" Lavi asked, sending her a look that just challenged her to say his name. But thankfully, she got the message, pretty loud and clear.

"I'd love to, Bookman-san!" chirped the Asian woman, overly delighted with this new change of events.

"It's Lee now." Threw in the red head, not wanting to be called by his title for much longer. She gave an apology before looking to Allen again. Seeing him, practically a carbon copy of the man she had a crush on, she still did. If it weren't for the black hair and lack of blood red scar, she would've sworn it was him.

But, then again, it was time to move on. She couldn't be fooled by this youthful imitation. She had no idea where Allen Walker senior was.

**DGMDGMDGM**

A man with curly hair pulled back into a ponytail and skin an unnatural grayish hue sat with the gardens of a rather falling apart place, a white, long haired dog laying beside him. His only source of worthy company for the last 15 years. Well, there was that guardian what's her name, but she was far too annoying despite how much he enjoyed their little debates, to be considered a friend. Nope, the dog beside him made better company than her, even though the dog was rather old.

Scratching his companion loosely behind the ear, the man gazed up at the growing night sky before saying, "Man…I wouldn't kill for a little action, wouldn't you?" He asked the dog, the old white haired dog only looking at him with a bored expression on it's canine face before it's ears perked up, it's head turning to the bushes a little ways away.

"So, it wasn't just me." He said as he pushed himself to his feet, groaning at the sound of many joints popping. He really needed a good work out. Running his hand through his hair, he lazily began making his way over to the bushes, his hands morphing to gruesome and rather bulky claws. "Alright, I'll give you the count of three to step out. One. Two. Thr—"

He went to strike, but his blow was blocked by a familiar sword, instantly bringing his defenses down. Staring wide eyed, he watched as people emerged from the foliage ahead, most of them familiar faces. Faces he hadn't seen in, well, 15 years. It was enough to get him excited. "My fr—"

He never got to finish what he was going to say, a harsh kick to the chest sending him backwards a few feet and knocking the wind out of him. Coughing harshly, the man's arms morphed back to regular human hands as he sat up. "Don't even think about considering us, or even me, as your friend." Growled Kanda as he sheathed Mugen, sending the former Noah daggers with his glares.

"Jeez, it's been 15 years and you still never change, do you soldier-boy?" said the man once he could find his voice and actually breathe without difficulty. His gaze turned to the red head as he got to his feet, a half smirk on his face as he made his way.

"Well I'll be damned, it's good seeing you again Bookman…"

"Lee. It's Lee now."

"Alright, Bookman Lee. Mind if I just call you Lavi? I've gotten so used to the name—"

"It's Lee. Or just Bookman."

"Fine, be that way. How's Thomas? Or does he have a new name too?"

"He's dead." Came a new voice, the grey skinned man turning his attention over to the dark haired boy beside the Bookman. Instantly his eyes darkened, his mouth becoming a thin line as he moved over to the boy.

"Well, I'm sorry for the loss. He was a good kid, at least, when I knew him. What's your name, boy?" asked the man, the thin line becoming a forced smile. Allen looked to him in confusion, his eyebrows knitting forward slightly as his eyes narrowed, his head pounding slightly.

He tried not showing his discomfort at the slow return of whispers in his head as he said, though unintentionally, "Come on, Tyki, you should know who I am. Or do I have to spell it out for you?"

The man, Tyki, looked to the boy with the black hair and silver eyes in surprise, his eyes widening for a moment before he managed to keep his surprise under control. "I don't believe we met before, but that was a nice guess, my name is Tyki. Tyki Mikk." He said this while outstretching his hand, "I'm sorry, but you might have to spell it out for me."

"Huh? Er…how do you do Tyki, my name is Allen." The boy said, forgetting all about what he had previously said and shook the older man's hand.

Meanwhile, as introductions were given out, Lavi watched Allen was interest, taking it upon himself to study his actions. The boy had said something odd, something that he really shouldn't have said. So why had he said it? And how did he know Tyki's name before anyone had a chance to tell him. God…there was so much about the boy that he didn't understand. Nothing, of this situation made any sense.

While in thought, Lavi noticed to his grievance that Allen brought a hand to his head, his eyebrows knitting forward slightly as he frowned. Moving his way over to the boy's side, a placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he said, "Is everything alright? Do you want to go inside and maybe see if we can get something to eat?"

"I'm fine, just a little headache is all. Um…but could we go inside? I…I want to go inside." He replied, flinching as he brought his hand back up to his temple.

Moving his hand down to the boy's back, be he began leading him forward, needing to push him along just so that he would move. But the closer he got to the entrance, the more paler he would become, the color draining from his face as droplets sweat began forming on his face. He moaned in pain, a hint of a whine in his voice when he suddenly collapsed.

"Allen!" the Bookman cried as he caught him before he had a chance of falling forward. Looking to him worried, he turned to the others to see that they had all gone quiet. It was Lou Fa who stepped forward, rushing to Lavi's side as she said, "Come on, we'll take him inside and have some of the nurses see what's wrong with him."

Lavi nodded, somewhat surprised by the confident tone that was in her voice. It was certainly different from what he was use to, but he didn't have time to twaddle just for that. He had more important things to attend to. Following behind her, Tyki was quick to help him support the unconscious boy, his eyes darting over to the red-head as he asked, "What's wrong with the boy?"

"I…I don't know."

**DGMDGMDGM**

"His heart rate is a little erratic, but his blood sugar is normal. It might be nothing more than a fainting spell, that's all." Replied a nurse, giving the Bookman a smile despite the fact that he was frowning.

"You say it might? What if it isn't?"

"I'm sorry, but everything appears normal Bookman-san. You should let him rest for now, and we'll give him another examination in the morning." She assured, Lavi rubbing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Maybe you should rest as well, you don't look like you've had very good sleep. Want me to prescribe you something?"

"No, I'm fine. Just make sure Allen is ok. Thank you anyways." He said, giving a tired sigh before walking off towards an office he had only been in once. And hopefully, he would find the person he was looking for.

The nurse watched him go before making a few checks on the still unconscious boy before leaving. Now that left Allen and the white haired dog in the room, the dog having not once left the boy's side ever since he got here. Something about the boy reminded the dog about his previous master.

**DGMDGMDGM**

Lavi made his way to the closed door that he had been seeking, his eye staring at it intensely as he went to knock. Unfortunately, before he had a chance to, someone grabbed his attention. "Lavi, is that you?"

Turning, he found himself greeted with a familiar sight. An Australian man with spiked up hair stared at him in shock, his lab coat gone for once. Sure, it might have been 15 years, the science leader still looked every bit the same. "Reever?"

"Yeah, that's me." He said while rushing forward, not hesitating in give the other adult a hug. Chuckling, Lavi hugged him back briefly, morphing back into the persona that had been Lavi. "I didn't think you'd still be here."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I've got anywhere else to go. My family is right here. Well, some of it at least." Replied Reever, his tone become slightly downcast at the thought of the missing members of their 'family'.

"How's everything been here?" asked Lavi, hoping to change the subject.

"Fine, in the sense that everything's normal. But even that gets old after a while. What about you?"

"Fine as well, in the sense that akuma have returned." Said the red head casually, earning a startled look from the Australian.

"What? A-Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure I know an akuma when I see on. Had to fight off quite a few just to get here."

"So if the akuma are back, then that means…" trailed Reever, unable to finish the statement.

"I'm thinking so. My apprentice was already killed by a Noah. And by the looks of it, I'm betting its Road." Said Lavi, the smile that had been on his face disappearing at the thought of Thomas. If only they hadn't separated, then maybe he'd still be alive.

"But I thought all the Noah died off after the final battle. I thought…"

"We were wrong." Dead-panned Lavi, not sparing in the bluntness of his statement. "Look, I need to speak with the Chief. Is he here?"

"He's here, but not in there." Replied the Australian, his face becoming somber as Lavi looked to him funny.

"You don't mean…"

"I do. He goes to see her about this time every day. He keeps praying that a miracle will happen. But it's been 15 years and she still hasn't moved."

Lavi frowned, his expression hardening slightly before his face brightened up into a hopeful smile. "Well then, please tell him that I'm looking for him. And tell him it's important."

"I will," Replied Reever while Lavi began walking away. "And Lavi," the red head stopped, his head slightly inclining to the side to show that he was listening. "I know where he is."

"Who?" he asked, honestly confused on who he was talking about.

"Allen Walker."

**DGMDGMDGM**

The Chinese man was making his way down the hall, a coffee mug in hand as he made it to the room he visited daily, always around his time. Occasionally he'd take a sip every now and again, savoring the bitter taste as much as he could. Though, it never tasted quite as good as when she would make it. He missed how she made coffee.

Coffee aside, he made his way to the off limits door, preparing to press the combination in the key pad when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. "Reever, is that you?" he asked as he turned his head to the side, startled by what he found. So startled that the coffee mug in his hand slipped, shattering to the floor and spilling coffee everywhere.

"I need to go inside." Replied a monotone voice, the tone drained of actual emotion as many various voices spoke at once, vacant eyes stared at the Chinese man.

"Who are you?" the man in the beret asked, still not sure if he was seeing correctly.

"I need to go inside and see her." Repeated the voice, his tone unchanging as he took another few steps forward.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now who are you?"

"I need to go inside." Ignored the person while taking another set of steps forward. It was then that the man noticed the person's features. The person's eyes were glowing a deep violet, the color swimming as it changed to silver, then gold, and then back violet, the cycle repeating. The marking on his face had distorted, changing into several broken lines that still interconnected but were not a solid line like it had once been.

"I need to see my mother."

* * *

_Author's Note: Please forgive me for the mistakes that you find in this chapter, I didn't have time to fix them. I hope this was alright, I liked the outcome of this. I'm glad you liked this story you begged __**Pamela**__, but I was planning to update this today. So hopefully you'll take the time to read and review. Please, review._


	12. The Stinging Blow of Truth

Ch. 12: The Stinging Blow of Truth

Komui could only stare at the black-haired boy in front of him in shock, surprise filling his dark, amethyst colored eyes. A determined and somewhat threatening air was around the teen, his blank, dull eyes staring back at him intently. His face was blank, an unreadable mask covering his innermost thoughts. And all the while his eyes continued to swim with the colors of gold, silver, and violet.

"I need to go inside and see my mother." The boy repeated, his eyebrows knitting ever so slightly to show that he was starting to get annoyed the longer the older man stood there just gaping at him.

Then it dawned on the baffled Chief. Why hadn't he realized this sooner?

Straightening himself up, Komui's shocked expression drained away, his mouth becoming thin lipped as he calmly said, "Very well. I'll take you to her." Turning back to the sealed door, he performed all the necessary procedures to unbar the door. After a few tense minutes, the door soundlessly slid open, darkness greeting them.

Turning his head, the Chief watched as the boy un-hesitantly stepped forward into the darkness, the shadows quickly swallowing his form. Komui followed soon after, his expression unreadable as he too was swallowed up by the darkness. Once inside, the door automatically closed on its own, sealing away what little light that had managed to seep in. Soon all he could see was darkness. But that hardly lasted long.

After a few given seconds, hollowed lights erupted from up above on the room's ceiling, sending down scattered spot lights across the room. The room was relatively plain, devoid of the normal things, like furniture, save for a chair located beside an occupied bed in the far corner. The only things remotely normal in the otherwise empty room.

A person laid upon the bed, various machines hooked up to the person in order to maintain life that they were obviously lacking. Komui slowly made his way to the bed, his eyes not leaving the boy that now stood before the person's bedside.

Allen stood there, his vacant eyes turning metallic silver as he continued gazing down at the blank look in the woman's violet eyes. Those eyes that had once been so full of life were now reduce to empty pools of lackluster purple as they stared up behind heavy lids at nothing. If it weren't for the very faint rise and fall of the woman's chest, one would've assumed that the person was long since dead.

In a way, she was, her mind completely gone. Leaving her incapable of basic motor-skills or even simple speech.

All she seemed capable of doing was staring up at seemingly nothing.

A hint of sadness wielded up in the boy's eyes as he grasped one the woman's soft hand, rubbing the slightly marred skin with his thumb. Slowly taking a seat in the chair beside the bed, soft words fell out of his mouth as he whispered sadly, "Oh Lenalee, my dear, sweet Lenalee…" Komui blinked in confusion, puzzled by the boy's actions as he spoke to his comatose sister as if he knew her. As if he…

"Allen…" came a faint voice, barely a whisper. But to Komui, it was so very loud.

The Chief's eyes widened as his gaze swept over to his sister, his breath hitching his chest as he watched his once lifeless sister slightly move. I mean actually _move_! Her still very dull eyes slowly turned to look at the black-haired boy, a soft expression coming into her eyes as she lightly gripped his hand.

The boy's expression seemed tired, his head falling down against the mattress of the bed while his shoulders slumped, his eyes falling shut. The tenseness that had once been there before left, causing him to slightly slump to the side, his grip on Lenalee's hand slackening. Lenalee slowly blinked, her vacant violet eyes still focused on the boy before her gaze twisted to Komui's. That was when the tears came, first wielding up in his eyes before slowly bursting from his lids and peacefully cascade down his face.

Bottom lip quivering, he bent down, instantly wrapping his arms around his beloved sister and pulling her up slightly off her once believed eternal bed. Tears of relief continued to streak his aged face as he wept, still unable to believe that this was actually happening. "Oh Lenalee, I've missed you so much!" he cried, brotherly love gushing forth from his words.

Still shedding tears, he was almost unable to hear her voice as she softly whispered, "Nii-san," Noticing that she was about to say something, he struggled to recompose himself, sniffling as he waited for to say something else. "I'm sorry."

Confused, he pulled away, his eyebrows narrowing as he croaked, "What?" His chest tightened at the sight of a small, faint smile on his sister's face as her hand slowly fell from the black-haired boy's, her expression returning back to the one she had had before. Stunned into silence, tears fell heavier as he pulled her back into his arms, tightly pulling her into an embrace as he sobbed more so than he had been before.

Somehow, he had known that this had been too good to be true.

Having lost the grip of her hand, Allen slid out of his chair, falling to the floor dazed. Staring at the floor with vacant silver eyes, a flash of violet erupted across his irises before life returned, his eyes returning his original blue silver. Rapidly blinking, he moaned as he brought a hand to his throbbing head. "Where am I?" he asked aloud as he slowly got to his feet, his now lively eyes falling onto the man that was slowly pulling away from a rather limp woman.

He watched as the man with black, slightly curly hair, grey at his temples, set the person, a woman, back down on the bed, adjusting the sheets into a more comfortable position. At first, Allen thought she was dead, seeing as how she was so limp and all, but the faint, barely noticeable rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was alive. But who was she?

"Excuse me, but, who are you guys and what am I doing here?" Allen asked politely, caught completely off guard when the older man shot forward, gripping the front of his shirt as he slammed into a wall. Anger was blazing in the man's bloodshot eyes. Allen tried hard not to sigh over the predicament he was in…again.

He seemed to be getting this a lot lately.

"Bring her back!" he demanded, shaking the smaller boy harshly against the wall to further emphasize his demand.

Allen looked to him honestly confused, having no recollection over why he was here in the first place or who this deranged man even was. "I don't know—" He was cut off by another harsh shove, the older man lightly growling as his teeth angrily gnashed. "Don't play coy with me. Somehow you re-animated her, after all these years. Now bring her back! Please…"

The Chinese man's voice broke after that last part, his grip loosening as he sank to the floor, defeated. Allen watched in dismay as the man went back to weeping, his hand brought up to his face as he covered his eyes, his glasses hanging loosely in one of his hands. Swallowing hard, the black-haired boy rubbed his neck before slowly inching his way forward, taking a seat in front of the man.

Studying his features, he realized that the man crumpled before him was the very same one that had flashed across his mind quite a few times while they had made their way here. This man must be very important then. "I'm sorry for your loss, I would do anything to help you if I only knew how. I…I honestly don't remember what I did. And that bothers me. But I want to help, um…"

"Komui," Replied the man, his hands pulling away from his eyes. Briefly wiping his nose with the back of his hand, he gave the boy before him a gentle smile. "You look so much like your father."

Allen's eyebrows knitted forward, confusion washing over him as the man continued to stare at him lovingly. It was kind of creeping him out. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean. I look nothing like my father. My father told me I looked more like my mother." It was Komui's turn to look at him in confusion as he sat back, crossing his legs as he regarded the boy.

"Hmm…" he hummed, a hand going to his chin as he continued his study. "Nope, you don't look that much like her. Just your hair color and the shape of your nose, but that's it."

Allen froze after that, his eyes becoming wide as hope grew.

"Wait, you know who my mother is?" he asked, his eyes lighting up as he began firing questions at the man who seemed to hold the answers, "What was she like? Was she brave? Could she fight? Well of course she could if she was an exorcist, what kind of question is that!" he rambled, just full of questions, unsure of which he wanted to be answered first.

Then it hit him.

Sitting back, he folded his hands a top of his lap, his face becoming serious as he asked, "How did she die?"

This question threw Komui for a loop, his head tilting as he said, "What are you talking about, my sister isn't dead."

"Not your sister, my mother. How did she die?" repeated Allen with a shaking sigh, prepping himself for the dreaded answer to the gruesome question.

But no amount of prepping could get him prepared for the man's reply as the truth was finally revealed.

"You're mother isn't dead," he said, his gaze flickering over to the bed as he continued, "She's right there, laying in a comatose state on that bed. She's my sister. And I'm your Uncle."

**DGMDGMDGM**

"He's stationed somewhere in Central, or what's left of it that is. Only a handful of people reside there now, much like all the other bases. The Order isn't exactly an Order anymore. And that's going to be a bit of a problem if the Earl and the Noah have returned." Said the spiky-haired Australian as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "And we're down on exorcists and we don't even have any finders."

"We all have to start somewhere, right? At least you've got five exorcists on your hands." Replied Lavi, earning a confused look from the Section Leader. The red-head smiled, knowing what was silently being asked. "You've got Tyki, Mizuki, Kanda, little Allen, and of course yours truly."

Reever looked appreciated for the help but still had a look in his eyes that suggested that that wasn't going to be enough. "Thanks, but that still doesn't help when three of them have hardly had any substantial time in the field." The red-head gave a nod in understanding, a hand going to his chin as he thought, trying to come up with a better proposal. Then, a wiry smile came onto his face, an idea popping right into his head.

Getting to his feet, Lavi faced Reever as he said, "Tell me, do you know the whereabouts of the other remaining exorcists that did survive the fight?" The Australian looked at him taken aback, a gasp coming his gaping mouth as he shot to his feet. "You mean…"

"Yes," Lavi replied, a cheeky smile spreading across his face as he folded his arms behind his head, "It's time we get the old gang back together, don't you think?"

Reever gave a sigh of relief, a gentle smile coming onto his face as he deftly rubbed his stubble covered chin. "I'm sure we can find something, make some calls, find some contacts that might know the whereabouts of the others." He said slowly, a ring of hope in his voice. This might actually work!

The Bookman chuckled, glad to see Reever again, especially after all these years. And the thought of meeting those who had been his 49th alias' friends made him even happier. But there was still one thing he wanted to clear up. "So Reever, who told you where Allen was?"

"Who do you think?" he retorted, one of his eyebrows arching knowingly. Lavi paused, running his mind through all the possibilities when the sound of distant footsteps caught his attention.

Turning around, he watched as Komui and Allen walked side by side, the older man draping arm across the boy's shoulders as he held him close. Komui was saying something to him, and whatever it was, it brought this hurt look on his face, pain oozing from the expression. This didn't seem to bother Komui, his face still smiling and beaming down at the black-haired teen at his side.

When they caught sight of Lavi though, the two stopped, Allen's eyes instantly locking with his. Komui seemed to stiffen, his grip on the boy tightening as he drew him slightly closer, as if protecting him. The duos actions hardly served to ease the troubled Bookman, his eye flickering back and forth between the two.

What the heck was going on?

"Hey, Chief." Said Lavi, his voice shaking no matter how much he tried making it sound steady. Komui looked to him briefly before smiling, his eyes showing that he was actually relieved to see the Bookman, despite their spat nearly 15 years ago. "It's nice to see you again." He admitted, stepping forward to shake hands with the man he had once known as a boy.

Allen stuck to Komui's side, his gaze having fallen to the ground and unwilling to look up. Lavi noticed this but chose not to comment, as he said, "Me too, Komui, it's been awhile. Wasn't sure how you would react to seeing me again, so I'm bit relieved that we can put the past behind us and move on."

"Yes, well, I just wanted to thank you for taking great care over my nephew and to tell you that he wishes to stay here with me." Komui replied casually, earning a startled look from the Bookman. "What do you…"

"I mean that the boy has a right to stay with his biological family. He wishes to stay here with his uncle and mother. And see his father." Interrupted Komui, his eyes shifting over to where Allen stood there in silence, his head still bowed.

Lavi gave a nervous chuckle, the simple act hiding the panic that was storming throughout his entire being. "What are you talking about Komui, his mother…his mother is dead. I'm all the family he has left."

"You lied to me."

Everyone turned to see Allen lift his head to stare at the man he had once believed to be his father, cold anger flashing in his bluish silver irises. "You told me she died. Well, I've just been to see her. She looked pretty alive to me, albeit kind of like a vegetable. And Uncle Komui explained everything to me. How you took me away when my parents…when their minds were gone." He choked, his hand tightening into a fist slowly.

The Bookman clenched his teeth, his eye showing his ply as he said, "I only did it to protect you. If I had left you here, then who knows what kind of experiments people would've been done to you. That's not what your parents would've wanted!"

"Yeah, and lying to me is?" he retorted, glaring daggers at the red-head. Lavi looked to the boy he had raised as if he were his own hurt, his temper seeping away to shame.

"I…I wanted to protect you. Please, you've got to believe me, I was going to tell you when you were older. But…I never could. I loved you too much to let you go. I had already lost my friends, I didn't want to lose you too. That's why I named you after your father, so that I could at least hold onto a little part of them. Why do you think I've given myself names like Lee, or Tim?" he admitted, his words earning a surprise and torn look from the black-haired boy.

Looking away, Allen bit his lower lip lightly, sinking into deep contemplation. Komui looked between the pair, a hint of regret in his eyes as he said, "I'm sorry, but he needed to know the truth. He had the right to know. And the truth is, you're not his father, Lavi. Allen Walker is."

"But I…" trailed Lavi, his mouth closing as he went towards Allen. When he went to touch the boy's shoulder, he stepped back, his eyes back on Lavi.

"Get away from me." Seethed the very lost teen, his voice cold as ice. Lavi was taken aback, watching as the boy quietly walked away, Komui following right behind him.

When they were too far for him to see, he looked to the floor, gritting his teeth bitterly. He had prepared himself for something like this, and yet, it still stung. I guess that it was suppose to. Reever watched sadly, not really knowing what to do in times like this. All he could do was be there for the Bookman. "Lavi…" he said slowly, eyes sympathetic.

The red-head sniffed hard, clearing his throat soon after as he brushed past the Australian. "Come on, we've got people to locate." He said solemnly, not even back as he made his way down one of the many empty hallways in silence.


	13. Ghosts of the Past

Ch. 13: Ghosts of the Past

Allen leaned against a wall, giving a heavy sigh. It was late and he could hardly stand to sleep. Not after having gone through what he had. Not after learning that for most of his life, he had lived under a lie. How could he trust the man he had once believed to be his father after something like this? Did he even care for him like he said he did? Or was that merely a lie as well. He didn't exactly know and that was making him a complete wreck.

Slumping down the side of the wall so that he now sat on the ground, he leaned his head back, staring up at the high ceiling with a bitter smile. "Who…do I trust?"

"No one, that's who."

The troubled teen looked up to see the grey-skinned Tyki Mikk standing before him, a wiry smile on his face. The old, white dog from before stood beside him, angular head hanging low as it trotted slowly to Allen, laying down with his head resting on the boy's lap. Allen looked down at the dog before slowly running a hand down the dog's skull, rubbing its long white fur. Tyki heft a sigh as he slid down beside the boy.

Watching as the boy continued running his fingers through the soft fur, Tyki remarked, "You know, that use to be your father's dog. I kind of took over caring for it after…well, you know," Noticing that the black-haired boy was hardly amused, he continued. "Listen, when you get affiliated with these types of power, it's best that you keep your guard up. Never place complete trust in someone you don't know. And a word of advice. Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer."

"I don't have any enemies." Allen mumbled, sneaking a side glance to the strange man sitting beside him.

"You'd be surprise on how many people wish to get rid of people like us." He retorted, a smirk coming onto his face. Allen mulled over his words, taking them to some form of thought when it hit him. Turning to face the scar-faced man, he asked, "What do you want?"

Tyki chuckled out the mock glare he was receiving, the look reminding him of the card-shark. "Nothing, just thought you could use the company, heaven knows I do."

"You don't get out much, do you?"

"Nah, was stationed here by that Bookman to keep an eye on the Chief. And it's not like I had anywhere else to go. So I've been pretty much stuck here with the dog as a companion. Damn beast won't leave me alone. But I guess I don't really mind. Because I hate being alone. No one should ever have to be alone."

"You're a very strange man. You say to not trust anyone, yet you also say no one should be alone. You're just contradicting yourself." Pointed out Allen, not really finding the conversation very much amusing.

"They're two basic facts of life. Every human being can hardly show that they trust another full-heartedly, so they recede away inside themselves so they can't get hurt, and yet, they can hardly stand to be alone. So they reach out for the comfort of others. A continuous conundrum."

Allen turned back to looking at the wall ahead of him, scrutinizing the man's words. Somehow, they just didn't seem right. "Well, someday, I'm going to prove you wrong."

"Yeah? Well, I wish you the best of luck, kid." He said while leaning back, his eyes falling shut as a serene smile came to his face. He sure was smiling a lot, he noticed, but didn't really care. "You're going to need it."

**DGMDGMDGM**

A man in his early twenties continued to walk casually along the darken streets of some distant Asiatic town, just outside of China, a grey wolf trailing behind him. Undeterred or otherwise uncaring of the fact that a fairly large wolf was behind him, the person continued making his way casually down the empty street, a knapsack hanging over his shoulder.

"It looks like we've got a long road ahead of us, don't we Kato?" asked the young man, knowing full and well that he wasn't going to get an answer. For the sake of peace of mind, he asked it anyways.

The large beast just gave a simple shrug of its broad shoulders, as if answering its master's question. Sighing, the young man readjusted his hold on his bag and continued his way, not knowing what laid lurking in the shadows. "I wonder where we should go. I mean, it's not like we can go back home, remember? Not after what you did, killing that person."

The wolf gave an indignant snort, shaking its grey pelt before coming to a sudden halt, earning the interest of its master. Stopping as well, the male with the dark brown hair arched an eyebrow, finding the wolf's behavior strange. Crossing his arms across his chest, he stared at the beast crossly, fear blooming at the sight of the creature's grey pelt bristle, its large paws clawing the ground anxiously. Its golden eyes morphed to an eerie green, a glow emitting from the depth of the creature's irises.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked anxiously, his gaze flickering over to the shadows where his companion was staring at, a mild growl rolling from its throat.

"Oh, what a pretty doggie you got there. Mind if I pet him?" came a childish voice up ahead, their appearance cloaked in shadows.

Stiffening at the voice, the young man took a few steps back as a young girl came stepping forward, a malicious smile spreading across her face. Something was telling him that the girl before him was not your average, everyday girl. And to further his point, the girl's eyes turned into a menacing gold color. It only made her sardonic smile even more twisted and maniacal than it already was.

"Who are you?" demanded the young man, stepping closer to the now eerily glowing canine. The girl just continued smiling at him, her eyes flickering over to the wolf before she unexpectedly lunged forward.

Eyes widening, the young man's eyes clamped shut, his arms dropping the knapsack before instinctively crossing in front of his head in a futile attempt of blocking himself. But when the attack never came, he slowly cracked open one dark brown eye, finding that the girl was currently struggling with his wolfish companion, who had taken a drastic change in appearance.

Its front teeth had elongated to dagger like fangs, it's already bulky frame having doubled in size. Razor sharp claws jutted out of its boisterous paws, the hairs along its back sticking out and becoming sharp as knives. Its once grey pelt had taken on an iridescent white, a green sheen erupting along its lethal form.

"Kato!" cried the master of the wolf, not enjoying the fact that his friend was fighting again, even if the girl had tried to attack him. Sure, that was probably a weird way of thinking, but he wasn't too keen on fighting. Not unless he had to.

And it looked like he would have to.

Pushing the enormous wolf aside, the mysterious girl went after the young man, fresh anger flashing in her eyes as she went after him. Planting his booted feet to the ground, he braced himself for her attack, eyes narrowing in determination as she threw herself at him. Punching out, the girl's blow was quickly blocked, ducking under another swing she sent at him.

"Wow, never thought you'd actually put up a fight." Commented the girl as she dodged a kick the young man sent at her. The young man panted from all the exertion he was having to pull off, not use to fighting but not at all unfamiliar with the art. But that didn't mean he was any good.

Jumping back, Kato suddenly lunged forward, knocking the grey-skinned girl off her feet. Pinning her down, the ferocious beast snapped at her face, the girl's hands around its throat the only thing keeping the beast's teeth from her. Smirking devilishly, she suddenly summoned an array of candles up above, sending them all crashing down.

Embedding in the monstrous wolf's back, the beast gave a pained howl as it jumped back, six candles sticking out of its white hide. The young man gave a cry as he fell to his knees, six splotches soaking the back of his shirt. Gritting his teeth at the sudden assault of pain, he was unaware that the girl was steadily walking her way over to his hunched form.

But this wasn't going to settle well with his wolfish companion.

Breathing heavily, the large beast bounded forward, its mouth drawn back in a menacing snarl, dagger teeth flashing. But the girl took little regard over the beast, simply whacking the creature away when it leapt into the air at her. Crashing into the side of a building, the wolf gave a distressed whine before collapsing on its side, the young man fighting hard not the scream as another wave of pain ran up his body.

Grabbing the young man by his throat, the girl lifted him to her level, shaking him so that he would open his eyes and look at her. Digging her nails into the tender flesh at his neck, the young man finally responded. Cracking open his eyes, he gagged before a trickle of blood slid down the side of his mouth, his dark eyes grossly unfocused. Wincing at the pain, he gave a strangled cough, weakly asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm Road Kamelot. You want to play with me some more?" she asked sweetly, as if holding a man by his throat wasn't exactly odd.

The young man's eyes flickered over to his companion as he struggled to get to his feet, the wolf's body trembling as it continuously collapsed. Returning his gaze at the expectant girl, he gave a tired sigh before slowly closing his eyes, praying that this would all end quickly. He, for one, wasn't too keen on having a very slow and painful death. He'd try avoiding it if he could.

Frowning, Road gave a simple shrug of her shoulders before she went and summoned a whole assortment of spiral candles, all of them different shapes and sizes. She just could never get over candles, they were simply her style. Smiling fiendishly, she lifted up her free hand and prepared to give it a simple flick of her wrist that would send all the various weapons hurtling at the young man when large, earthy vines erupted from the ground below them.

White vines wrapping around the girl's arms and legs, Road gave a frustrated hiss as the young man was yanked out of her grasp, a forest distancing the girl from the young man. Collapsing to the ground, the young man looked at the strange, ethereal forest that was protecting him from the likes of this girl named Road. Knitting his eyebrows, he started when Kato emerged from the foliage, surging forward and scooping him up across his broad shoulders.

Resting across the beast's angular body, the young man sank into his companion's fur, his body relaxing as the wolf ran forward. Eventually they escaped the white forest, the white wolf shrinking down in size until it was back to its original size, its white fur darkening to a sooty grey, the green sheen disappearing. Soon the young man was forced to slide of his companion, now that the wolf was back to its usual bulky self.

"Thanks, for saving me Kato." He murmured tiredly, sliding down one of the brick walls of a darken alley. Huffing, he suddenly started when a large shadow loomed over head, causing him to shamefully shrink against the wall.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help. I'm a friend." Came a gentle voice belonging to an older man. The gentleness that was in the older man's voice caused the younger one to relax.

The figure before him outstretched a deeply calloused hand, the younger one staring at it before shakingly grasping it, soon to be pulled delicately to his feet. "Here, lean on me. I'll take us somewhere where we're sure to be safe."

"Now who are you?" asked the young man tiredly, finding all this going too fast for his liking. One moment he had been trying to get away from his troubles and now it looked like trouble was catching up with him.

The older gentleman simply smiled, supporting the injured man while the wolf lazily trotted behind him, the candles still gruesomely embedded in its luscious pelt. "I'm an Exorcist, and I'm here to make sure you stay safe until the time comes when you are ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To fight."

**DGMDGMDGM**

Lavi slammed down the phone for the sixth time that night, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he moved away from the phone. Several hours of making pointless phone calls were starting to aggravate the red-head, finding nothing but dead ends. It was frustrating and it hardly helped with boosting morale.

"Any luck Reever?" he asked, head turning to see the section leader give him a shake of his head. Bags were under his eyes, a cup of coffee in his hands as he sat back in his chair, taking a light sip of the bitter elixir.

"I think we should call it a night, Lavi. We can try again in morning. Right now, we should get some sleep." Pointed out Reever, giving a large yawn to prove his point. Lavi rubbed his eye and stroked his slightly bearded chin before saying, "No, I'll stay up, see if I can find any other possible contacts that might know anything. You get some rest."

"We both need to get some sleep. By the looks of things, I'd say you could use some sleep as well. Maybe even more so than me."

"No!" he shouted, freezing at the surprised look he got from his 49th alias' friend. "I mean, I'm fine. Really, it's no problem at all. I can hardly sleep." Assured the red-head, smiling brightly at the older man before lifting up the phone and preparing to dial another sequence of numbers on the long list of potential sources.

Reever took a moment to regard this before walking off, knowing full and well that there was nothing he could do to change the Bookman's mind. Why even try? When he left, Lavi's beaming smile faded away, the weight of it all collapsing back on his shoulders. Sighing, he went back to dialing.

"You should get some sleep, you know. It's not good for your health."

The Bookman's head shot up, his emerald green eye widening at the sight that he be held. Leaning against one of the walls was one of his best friends, well, missing friend now. His snow white hair was all too familiar, the scar that only he could ever have present on his face. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his features relaxed as he kept his eyes closed. A hint of a smile was on his lips as he turned to look at Lavi, his eyes slowly coming open.

"Allen…" whispered Lavi, a genuine smile coming onto his face before he stepped back, physically slapping himself when the thought that this was a dream crossed his mind. Of course it was a dream, what else could it be? His friend Allen Walker wasn't even here, but many miles, no, countries away.

"Aw…don't be trying to push me away, now. I'm a friend, your friend," he pushed off the wall, a smile spreading across his face despite the dark air that was surrounding him. "That is, Lavi's friend."

"You are my friend—"

"Then why does it fell like you don't care about us?"

His head whipped to the side to see the ever beautiful Lenalee standing to his right, her head cocked to the side as her arms folded behind her back, her petite frame slightly leaning forward in a gesture beckoning an answer. Mouth opening and closing, Lavi took a few more steps back, feverishly trying to pull himself out of this dream.

"Who said anything about this being a dream?"

The Bookman's head turned once more to see his dead apprentice standing to his left, appearing as alive as ever. His throat felt dry at the sight, everything happening so fast that his mind and heart could barely stand to comprehend. Idly, his fingers went down to his hammer, his fingers lightly brushing it when a hand pulled it out of the holster at his thigh, grabbing his startled attention.

"I don't think you'll be needing this, do you?" asked a gentle tone, belonging to the somewhat forgotten Katherine Jones, now wielding his hammer while she leaned across her scythe. And soon, more appeared with her, all of them asking question after question without giving him time to answer.

"You're a Bookman, why do you pretend to be something you're not?" asked Chaoji.

"But we're your friends, why do you push us away like this?" asked Krory, his eyes watering up as he sniffled.

"Who cares? It's not like the kid ever really cared. Hell, I didn't even care." Barked Zokalo, his eyes rolling at the behavior Krory was displaying.

"Is it really a Bookman's place to hold such deep regret? I thought they weren't suppose to feel anything?" questioned Klaud, Lau Shimin pacing across her shoulders.

Lavi's head was spinning, everything turning out of control as a whirl of thoughts continued to intrude his head. The ringing of their voices made it feel like a thousand people were speaking at once, making his head pound. Back pressed to the wall, all those who had died pressing forward, the Bookman brought his hands to the sides of his head, gritting his teeth in pain.

Body twisting and back arching as the voices continued ringing in his head as the people long gone or otherwise far away encircled him, surrounding him. Moaning at the pain, he fell to his knees, the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears as the voices continued questioning his very nature as both Lavi and Bookman Lee. But amongst the voices, one voice rang clear. And that one voice pulled open his long since closed eye.

"You are a disgrace to the Bookman clan."

"Old…Panda?"

**DGMDGMDGM**

"Lavi!"

Said person jerked awake, falling out of his chair in his surprised state. Reever hovered over him worryingly, a look of concern in his eyes as he helped the Bookman up. Dusting himself off, Lavi dragged a hand down his color drained face and began wondering when he had actually fell asleep. He noticed with dissatisfaction that perspiration was lightly coating his face, beads of cold sweat soundless sliding down his face.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice slightly slurred.

"You fell asleep. When you started moaning and shaking, I tried waking you up. As you can see, it eventually worked." He answered as Lavi gave an exhausted sigh. Lightly growling, the red-head gripped his own wrist once he noticed that his hand wouldn't stop shaking.

Noticing this, Reever went on to asking, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," he replied lamely, walking over to get another cup of coffee. Hopefully that would give him enough boost to keep him awake for a little while longer. Ignoring the fact that his hands were still trembling, he poured himself some more as he said, "It was just a nightmare."

Just a nightmare.

* * *

_Author's Note: Ok guys, I understand you're all sorry for Lavi because it was bound to happen, one way or another. I mean, I got like four or five review saying 'AWW POOR LAVI!' I know you're sorry for him but this is a part of the story. If you want, I can make his character lighter and not so dreary, maybe make a few more uplifting scenes for the Bookman. It's just in this, he's racked with guilt and regret, the past still hanging on his shoulders as he struggles to figure himself out._

_**PamyAtrophy**__: It was Allen Sr. talking through Allen Jr. It was his eyes stayed silver when he held her hand. Allen Jr. eye color is bluish grey. I would explain more but if I did, I'd be giving a plot point away. So for now, you're just going to have to settle with this._


	14. New and Old

Ch. 14: New and Old

In the bustling streets of Paris, a voluptuous woman with pouty red lips, desirable curves, and fiery red hair entered her hotel room. Having just finished her day at a prestigious restaurant as a well received pianist and singer, she was ready to take a nice bubble bath before going to bed. And hopefully it would relieve her god awful headache that had persisted ever since yesterday.

She had visited the closest physicians she could find, but no one could tell her exactly what was wrong with her. All they ever told her was to relax and try to get a proper night's sleep. But how could she do that when she's been having nightmares that would chill even the bravest of men? These nightmares had persisted quite some time before the headaches had initially started, all of which having depicted a rather grotesque and apocalyptic world, where strange demons reigned and the people were all dead or dying. At first, the nightmares had deeply disturbed her but as time went on, she couldn't help but take pleasure in them. And that, of course, disturbed her more.

Walking into the adjoining bathroom, she drew a bath and waited for the water to reach its desirable height as well as heat. She wasn't going to be satisfied unless the water was at least near blistering hot. Giving a sigh, she sat down on the cool floor and watched while leaning against the porcelain frame as the water steadily rose. One of her fingers lazily dipped into the water and she began twirling it around in boredom. As she did this though, her headache suddenly spiked and something unexpectedly dripped into the water.

Confused, she brought a hand up to her forehead in hopes of maybe massaging the headache away, only to draw back her hand and see blood coating the tips of her fingers. "What the…" she trailed, only to have another spike of pain interrupt her train of thought. This one though, sent her groaning. Instinctively her hands went up to the sides of her head, her eyes scrunching shut as she fought the pain. But all it would do was get steadily and steadily worse.

She tried hard but she couldn't fight the urge to scream as she fell forward into the filling tub, uncaring of the fact that she was still fully dressed. Whole body slipping into the tub, it didn't take her long to realize that hot water wasn't going to help matters any. So, as soon as she broke the surface of the water, a scream split the air, soon to be replaced by uncontrollable sobs. Her whole body felt like it was…for lack of a better word, disintegrating away slowly, bit by bit.

Whimpering and moaning out in distress, she eventually wore herself out, soon lying out in the now filled bathtub, her half-lidded gaze focused on nothing in particular as water soon began spilling out. Blood streamed down on her forehead, seven strange cuts responsible for this. Terrible thoughts filled her, thoughts of the world ending and the world crumbling all around her. But instead of being afraid, like any normal person would've been, she was sensual and pleasurable. She was enthralled, overjoyed with this carnage and occasionally, it would register onto her face as a ghost of smile.

It made her feel so terrible yet so happy.

"Why, whatever are you doing in a tub with your clothes still on, my dear?" came a charming voice that held a underlying chuckle to it.

Her tired eyes flickered over to the door as she gave another hiccup, she watched as a clownish looking man with an ever present smile on his face came walking in. Lightly stepping on the water covered floor, the strange man came walking forward with a towel in his hands, his eyes focused on her. The woman looked to him confusedly; she had a strange feeling she had met him before, nostalgia hitting her in waves.

Chuckling heartedly, he wordlessly handed her the towel, which she kindly accepted as she pulled herself out of the overfilling tub. Clothes clinging to her body and weighing her down somewhat, she swayed on her feet as she stared at the stranger, waiting for him to catch the drift and leave. Giggling when realization soon dawned on him, with a flurry of his hand a pile of clothes appeared. Handing them to her as well, the man quickly stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Staring at the door for a moment, the woman began both drying herself and stripping, no given thought crossing her mind as she did so. Wiping away her smeared makeup and resting the towel on her soaking hair, she soon slipped into the short dress that had been presented to her, slowly pulling the straps over her shoulders. Once that was accomplished, she slowly pulled away the towel, her eyes widening at what she saw reflected back to her.

The Millennium Earl listened with satisfaction as a scream filled the air while he sat upon the girl's temporary bed. Legs crossed and his hands resting on his lap, he watched as the girl pushed the door open, a stricken expression on her face as she hastily said, "What's happening to me? What did you do to me?" So far her eyes had changed color and her skin was steadily becoming an ashen color as time persisted, her hair remaining surprisingly red. The Earl chuckled for a moment before he replied easily, "This isn't of my doing, my sister. You are a Noah now, and you must come with me."

"What? Why?" she cried, her French accent becoming much more noticeable.

"Because family needs to stick together, and I'm going to need your help my dear."

"Espèce de salaud…" she growled, her words turning into French. But the Earl didn't need a translator; he could tell just by looking at her that the word was an obvious insult.

"It will do you no good to insult me, my dear. And it won't change the fact that you are a Noah now."

She looked startled by this remark, her eyes widening until tears began streaming down her face as she crumpled to the floor in defeat. Covering her eyes with her hands she began sobbing into them, unable to deal with all this at once. She only looked up when she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Looking to him with watery eyes, she watched as he outstretched a hand and said, "I'm called may things, but you may call me the Millennium Earl. Now tell me, dear girl, what is your name?"

She stared at his offered hand in defeat, knowing full and well that there was nothing anyone could do that would fix her. The stranger had made it painfully clear. "Joyanna…" she whispered as she grasped his hand slowly, the Millennium Earl soon graciously pulling her to feet. Giggling in glee, he asked as he began escorting her out, "Do you mind if I call you Joyd?"

* * *

"I think I've found a lead!" cried Reever jubilantly, grabbing Lavi's attention. Rushing over to the Australian's side, the Bookman looked to him expectantly before the older man continued. "I think I've found information about an exorcist currently living in Moscow, Russia. Who it is though, I don't have the faintest clue."

Reever was a little anxious in telling the Bookman. He wasn't sure how the man would react after all. But to his amazement, the Bookman continued to harbor the broad grin that had presented itself when the Australian had mentioned finding a lead. "This is great! We've finally caught our first real break! I'll set off right away!" Lavi replied enthusiastically, only to earn a pensive look from Reever beside him.

"Should you really be going on your own?" he asked out of concern. "Don't you think you should reconcile with little Allen at least, before you go?"

Lavi looked away at the question. Sighing, he softly replied, "He doesn't want to have anything to do with me. Why even push my luck?"

"If you don't, Lavi, then you could lose him forever."

"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped, startling the scientist.

Realizing he had been out of line, he moved a little ways away, keeping his back to him as he leaned against a table. For a moment there was silence between them and soon it became suffocating for the poor Australian. Running a hand through his hair, Reever made his way over to Lavi before saying, "I think Allen is a little more important than collecting an exorcist. Both of them are." Lavi suddenly looked over his shoulder at the comment. "What do you mean both of them?" he asked.

"I mean, I think that the only way you'll be able to reconcile the boy is if you bring him to see his father. And I'm sure you'll be a lot better as well."

"But, what about—"

"Don't worry about the exorcist. We'll send Kanda to retrieve the person. You just worry about how you'll get to the Vatican." Reever said.

For a moment Lavi just stared at the Australian as he turned to face him before hesitantly saying, "You think it'll work?" Reever gave a smile in response. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try." Thinking over the scientist's words, a soft smile returned on the Bookman's face. Sighing as he fingered the choker lightly, he softly murmured, "You're right. It'll probably be good for the both of us."

"That's the spirit!" Reever said as he clamped the younger man on the shoulder.

Telling him his thanks, the two were off in collecting the other exorcists as well as the Chief to inform him of their findings. As soon as they had gathered them together, Reever was first to give out the news. Standing in front of the amassed group, the Australian cleared his throat before he began to speak. "Alright, everyone, I have some good news and a little smudge of bad news. The good news is that we've managed to locate an exorcist in Moscow, Russia. The only bad news is that we don't know who the exorcist is or where in the city they're at. So the group sent to Moscow will have to keep an open ear out."

"And who exactly is going to Moscow?" asked Tyki, eager to leave this place for somewhere much more exciting. It was Lavi who answered his question. Stepping up beside Reever, he responded, "Kanda, Mizuki and Reever will go." The Australian turned to him with a look of alarm. He hadn't been expecting this.

Ignoring the look by giving one of amusement, the Bookman watched as a sour look came onto Tyki's face. Ignoring that as well, his eye turned to Allen, who stood in the back beside Komui. The boy's face was downcast as he looked to the ground. It tore at Lavi's heart and so, while taking in a shaky breath he added, "And Allen and I shall go to the Vatican on business."

It instantly fell silent with this remark, all of their gazes returning to the Bookman standing before them. Meanwhile, Tyki's eyes narrowed. Ok, he could get over the fact that two exorcists were getting to go and leave this place but now this was downright unfair. Everyone seemed to be going but him! Well, not this time. This time he was going to go somewhere as well and he really didn't care where it was.

"I'm going with you." He declared, gaining all of the attention this time.

"I appreciate it, Tyki, I really do. But we don't need your help." Replied Lavi, earning an enraged look from the former Noah.

"But you could use my help! I'm—"

"I said no, Tyki." Interrupted Lavi before he moved passed the small group, only to stop when he heard a soft male's voice say, "He's coming with us."

Pausing, Lavi turned to see Allen gazing back at him adamantly, his silver eyes fierce. Mouth hanging slightly open, the Bookman turned to the young boy, flabbergasted. "What?" he question in disbelief. Allen simply glared as he repeated himself. "I said Tyki is coming with us. I don't want to be stuck with you all by myself."

"Allen…" came Komui's voice, somewhat stunned by the harshness of the tone. Turning to the Chief, Allen murmured, "Please don't cut in, uncle Komui. I don't want to be alone with this man, much less have to go somewhere with him."

Komui instantly dropped it, his eyes turning to Lavi before he gave a sigh and walked off. Now that he was aware of the plans, his presence wasn't needed. So he might as well go see his sister again, seeing as how there was nothing else he could do. He didn't actually have the drive or motivation to argue anymore anyways. He was just a shadow of the former glory that was Chief Komui Lee. Now he just plain old Komui Lee, a man who lived at a former Order Branch with a sister who was in some kind of other world at the moment, seeing as how she hardly responded. Oh how he hated the direction his life had taken.

Watching the Chief go, Lavi turned back to Allen before he harshly murmured, "Fine. Have it your way. See if I care." Gnashing his teeth, the Bookman stormed off, leaving just Allen and Tyki, seeing as how the others had disbanded. Releasing a breath that he had been holding, Allen turned to the older man and said, "You better thank me, Tyki. That wasn't easy."

"Well, I owe you one shortstack," he said as he clamped the boy on the shoulder. "I've been stuck here for far too long. I need to see a bit of action before I die of boredom. I wonder why he wants to go to the Vatican."

"Yeah, me too…" Allen murmured as he began rubbing his temple. Drawing back his hand upon feeling a wetness, he looked down in dismay at the sight of blood coating his fingers. Strange…he wondered where it came from, seeing as how he hadn't felt any pain. Maybe it was just the scratch above his eyebrow reopening, nothing more. There was nothing to worry about…right?

* * *

Lavi and Allen stood at the front entrance of the Order, the two of them not looking at each other as they awaited for their third member to appear. But when he did, they found him accompanied by two others, a sheepish grin on his face. The Bookman looked at him enraged. "We're not bringing anyone else!" he snapped, his temper already having been at a high level due to the just permissible acceptance of Tyki into the group. But he'd be damned if another was added.

"Relax Bookman, I came to see Allen." Replied Bak, a bundle in his arms. This diffused some of his anger but that still didn't explain the other being that had accompanied Tyki. "Then what's that?" he accused as he pointed at the white, old dog at Tyki's heels, the creature now rubbing up against Allen's legs.

"I couldn't just leave the old fellow behind, he's come to be my only friend in this dump. He wants to come with me." Explained Tyki as the dog went back to him, sitting patiently beside him.

Lavi gave a heavy groan as he ran a hand down his face. This wasn't exactly what he had envisioned when Reever had proposed that he and Allen go to Central. "Alright fine, but you're taking care of it. You feed it with what you can find, not with what we're bringing." Lavi relented.

"Naturally," Tyki replied before his tone dropped as he added to himself, "Jeez, someone's sure got his pants in a bunch."

Pretending he hadn't heard that, Lavi turned to the other two and watched as Bak handed him something folded. "Here," he said as Allen took it out of his hands and unfolded it, outstretching it in front of him. His eyes went wide at the sight. "This was your father's, a long time ago. It was his first official Black Order exorcist coat. I figured you'd might want to wear it until Johnny can make new exorcist coats, especially one for you." Allen looked at it in awe. This coat, this faded black and silver hooded coat that was ripped and frayed in several places had once belonged to his father. He didn't know why but he thought the sight of the ripped thing was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen before.

"Thank you…" he murmured softly as he slipped the coat on, leaving it open and unbuttoned. He noticed with dissatisfaction that one of the silver buttons was missing.

Tyki looked away upon noticing that the boy was eyeing the spot where a button should've been, whistling nervously. He knew why there was a missing button, but he rather not tell the boy why. It probably would be better if he didn't know, seeing as how it was because of him. "Let's go Bai." Tyki murmured as he began leading the way, leaving behind the Bookman and Allen as he went ahead.

"I can't believe you saved that thing." Remarked Lavi in awe, fond memories stirring up at the sight of the familiar black coat.

"I just stashed it away somewhere and kind of forgot about it. It was supposed to have been thrown away long ago but as I said, I forgot about it. So I figured little Allen might want it, seeing as how it was his father's." Bak explained, a small smile on his face as he shared his goodbyes and watched them go.

With Tyki ahead of them, this only left Lavi and Allen alone together, their silence making the atmosphere extremely uncomfortable. Walking in silence, Allen continuously fingered the tattered coat, gazing at all the rips, the tears, the dirt stains, and the blood stains. Whatever his father had been doing at the time must have been dangerous. He wondered what had happened to cause the coat to become so disheveled; it appeared to be made of durable material after all.

"If you wish to know, then you should ask Tyki some time. He'll tell you what happened." Lavi said, causing the boy to realize that he had said his thoughts aloud. Jumping slightly, he looked to the Bookman out of the corner of his eye as they made it outside. Quiet for a moment, Allen soon asked, "Why are we going to the Vatican, Bookman?" It took all of his will power not to call him by name, seeing as how he wasn't quite ready to forgive him yet. He had lied to him after all.

Pretending that that hadn't hurt, Lavi looked to Allen for a moment before turning his gaze back forward before he spoke. His words caused Allen's heart to leap with joy. "We're going there because I want you to see your father."

* * *

Within the streets of Moscow, a stealthy figure could be seen rushing across the rooftops with practiced ease. A mischievous smirk was on his face as he hid within the shadows, his eyes focused on the precious jewel that was being heavily guarded. "Oh, come on! What kind of challenge is this?" the figure mumbled as he invoked his power easily, all the guards walking away from their posts soon after. Smirking triumphantly, the man fell to the ground and silently skulked over to where the gemstone laid.

Rubbing his hands expectantly, the man sent a fist through the glass container and, while ignoring the alarm that had went off, he pulled it out. Eyeing it with interest, he shoved it into the back pocket of his pants before pulling out an object to replace the jewel. Resting the object in the jewel's place, he stared at it for a moment before rushing off before he was caught. But by the time the guards made it to the spot, they would've already known who had stolen the expensive jewel. After all, there was only one person who left behind a large letter G.

The Phantom Thief G.

* * *

_Author's Note: 'Espèce de salaud' is a way of saying 'you bastard' in French._


End file.
